Hope For Past And Present
by GoldGuardian2418
Summary: He went over the numbers again. Surely this meant a change in the past could still give them all the happy ending? Sans hopes so, but can it be done? Done as a request for dream1990. :)
1. Nightmares

**dream1990 asked for this one. Here you go, Amigo! Enjoy! :) **

**This story is also the sequel to 'Happiness Long Overdue', but will take a bit of a different approach too. :) **

**Undertale belongs to Toby Fox. I only own my OCs.**

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**Hope For Past And Present**

**Chapter 1: Nightmares**

Sans jerked upright as he woke up from a sound sleep, his breathing coming out in terrified pants as he turned on the light beside the bed and looked around, finding himself in the familiar room of Ida's mansion. Sighing, he moved to the edge of the bed, his feet going into his slippers as he held his head in his hands. "Why?" He asked himself softly.

The monsters were at peace and it had been two years since they had come to the surface and met Frisk's aunt Ida, who had taken them in and kept them safe along with her cousin Michael. They were accepted by almost everyone. And they were all happy as Alphys was pregnant with her and Michael's child, Ida and Grillby had a beautiful daughter named Harmony, and the king and queen had just had Capricorn.

So Sans had to wonder why he was still having nightmares. For the past two weeks, he kept having nightmares about the RESETS. And what was really bad was sometimes one of the others kids was with him and he watched them perish in front of him and he could do nothing to save them.

He now stood up and walked quietly down the hallway to check on the kids.

Julie was sound asleep in her room, as were Sarah, Nathan, Thomas, and David. Carmen was asleep in the library, making the skeleton chuckle as the young girl had a book beside her, indicating she had been reading and fell asleep while reading. He gently picked her up and carried her to her room, tucking her into bed before he went to check on the others.

Capricorn was sound asleep in the bassinet that was beside his parents' bed and the two were sleeping soundly, making the skeleton smile softly. He found Harmony to be in an equally peaceful sleep in her crib in her room while Ida and Grillby were sound asleep in their bed. He found Papyrus, Gaster, Undyne, Muffet, Mettaton, Gerson, and the others who had recently come to the surface all sound asleep.

Except for three kids. He couldn't find Frisk, Chara, or Asriel anywhere. He continued searching before finally using his power, focusing to find three red hearts. He soon found them in his room. Curious, he went up there and found all three children looking not only tired, but also scared. "Hey, baby bones," he said softly.

The three siblings, who were nearly teenagers, looked at him with eyes almost overflowing with tears. "Hey, what's wrong?" He asked softly. "What's got you three all rattled?"

Though he would have normally used that as a pun, this time he wasn't joking. The three looked very upset. Frisk spoke up first. "We had nightmares," he admitted, his voice sounding small.

Asriel was shaking. "I dreamed...I was Flowey again," he said.

"And I dreamed I was dead," Chara said, her tears spilling over. "I'm not that evil anymore. I'm not."

"Of course you're not," Sans soothed. When Chara and Asriel had first come back with the other six children, he had checked her stats and found her to be what she was before her death. But it looked like their pasts had come back to haunt them.

The skeleton recalled how he had been messing with the notion of finding a way into the past to undo all the hurt the family had been through prior to two years ago and to spare Asriel and Chara the pain of becoming a soulless flower and a trapped spirit respectively. He knew that the RESET did exist and it had been used back when the other six children had fallen, so going back in time was possible, but he wasn't sure how far back to go.

Until tonight. He looked at the kids, knowing he would have to set his coordinates for the time before Chara got sick and before Asriel was killed by the humans while just trying to grant his little sister her last wish. That would be a ways back as it would be before Gaster fell into the CORE and before Papyrus was born. He had just been a kid when Chara had fallen and become part of the royal family.

There was a lot to consider, like making sure the friendships he established when he was younger would be established, the other six children wouldn't die (he hoped), and there could be the happy ending without a Genocide route ever attempted or a RESET ever pulled. LOADS perhaps could be okay, since Frisk had had to do that a few times when he hadn't been able to make it past some of the monsters the first time by talking.

Thankfully, two centuries in the Underground and two years above on the Surface had given him ample time to consult those theories and devise a plan. He would need to go to the lab in the Underground and find Gaster's time machine, one of the projects the scientist had been earnestly working on before his unfortunate accident that led to him being trapped in the void until Frisk found that breaking the barrier would free him.

Now, those who knew Sans knew that he knew science in and out and was careful to go over equations several times, something he only did when alone as he still had a reputation of a lazybones to keep up, though he certainly hadn't been as tired for the past two years as he had before they were freed.

He now saw the kids looking at him and he smiled. "Hey, come here, baby bones," he said, holding his arms out wide. The three went over to him and hugged him as he hugged them close, knowing that they wanted comfort. Though they were almost teenagers, they were still kids who needed comfort at times, something the skeleton was always willing to give to them and the others.

"Hey, do you three want to sleepover?" He asked.

Chara looked hopeful. "Can we?" She asked, looking a little embarrassed. "I know we're getting kind of old for that...,"

"You're never too old for comfort or love from your favorite dunkle," he said, making her and Frisk giggle while Asriel smiled.

"Even if you're over two hundred years old?" He asked.

Sans chuckled. "I know for a fact that your parents often comfort each other and the other day, Ida was comforting your uncle Grillby when he was trying to get a new recipe right," he said.

The three giggled before snuggling closer into his embrace and he hugged them, stroking their heads soothingly to help them calm down a bit more. "Alright, up on the bed," he said. "The night express is ready to roll out."

Giggling at his joke, which made him smile, the three climbed up on the bed and settled down while he climbed into bed again, taking off his slippers and turning off the light. The moon was shining through the window, so it was a nightlight in a way. "You kids warm enough?" He asked.

They didn't answer as they had fallen asleep, making him chuckle softly as he leaned back against the headboard, gently stroking their heads again in affection. They looked peaceful, to which he hoped they were now having good dreams.

That brought up another thought. If he went back in time to prevent what he was hoping to prevent, it was possible that he could also stop his niece and nephews from having horrible nightmares too. He nodded. Yes, it would not only stop his nightmares (he hoped), but it would stop the terrible nightmares that plagued the kids too. They didn't deserve to be tormented after finally finding peace. They had been tormented enough before being free. They all had.

"It's the only way," Sans said softly to himself.

Determination filled the joke-loving skeleton and he sat up straighter. "It could work," he said to himself. "I'm going to find a way into the past to help them and everyone else."

Nodding, he settled down, blinking his eyes a little as sleepiness came over him. It was all worked out, but he couldn't tell anyone because if he did and something went wrong, it would be devastating.

No, it had to be secret for now, though he hoped that it would all work out. "Well, I'll keep hoping, but right now, I think hoping for some good shut-eye is best," he said to himself as he finally relaxed more to the point that he drifted off, joining the kids into the land of peaceful dreams.

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**What do you guys think so far? Does Sans have a good plan? Will it work out the way he wants to? Stay tuned! :) **

**Next chapter: Sans powers up the time machine. **

**Please leave a review, but no flames! **

**GoldGuardian2418 **


	2. The Vortex

**Chapter 2: The Vortex **

In the morning, Sans woke up slightly when he heard Capricorn and Harmony both crying. Sitting up, he yawned and saw Chara, Asriel, and Frisk were still sound asleep, making him chuckle and quietly get up, letting the three rest a bit longer.

He exited his room just as Ida came out with Harmony in her arms and the little one had calmed down while hungrily drinking a bottle of a special mixture that Alphys had created for her. The brown-haired woman was smiling at her daughter, who looked up at her with big eyes that were filled with content. Ida then saw Sans and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry," she said apologetically, knowing her little one had woken up the skeleton with her crying.

"It's okay," he said, coming over and gently brushing a hand over Harmony's head. The baby cooed happily while she continued eating. "She's pretty hungry."

Ida nodded. "She's growing fast too," she said. "Alphys said that Harmony is bigger than most young monster children her age, no doubt to her being half-human."

"And that she's loved by both humans and monsters," he said, seeing Grillby come out and the fire elemental looked tired. "And there's the proud Papa now."

Grillby smiled despite being tired, going over to his mate and hugging her, kissing her on the mouth. "Good morning, my lovely flame," he said.

"Good morning, handsome," she said. "You can go back to bed if you want. You were up last night with Harmony when she woke up crying."

Sans looked concerned. "Nightmare?" He asked.

"I'm not sure," Grillby said honestly. "It took her a bit to calm down."

"And that was only after Grillby got her a bottle," Ida said. "It seemed odd that she was hungry since she drank two bottles last night before we put her to bed."

The skeleton nodded. "Well, sometimes eating can be a comfort after a nightmare," he said.

"True," the brown-haired woman said before seeing her daughter was looking sleepy. "And it looks like last night is catching up to Harmony too."

Grillby chuckled. "Perhaps a little more shut eye will do all of us good," he said, wrapping his arms around his wife and leaning his head close to hers. "Perhaps a bit of cuddling too?" He whispered in her ear.

Ida giggled. "It seems I married a cuddle monster," she said, smiling up at her husband.

Sans chuckled, seeing Harmony was sleeping now. "How about I take Harmony back to her room and you two can go grab some more sleep?" He offered.

Giving him a grateful smile, the human woman handed him the child. "Thank you, Sans," she said gratefully and Grillby nodded before he gently dragged Ida back to their room, making her giggle again.

Chuckling again, Sans went to Harmony's room and put the little girl back in her crib, rubbing her back gently. "Sweet dreams, little one," he whispered softly before heading out of the room and going for the living room.

On his way there, he paused to check on everyone else. Toriel and Asgore were still asleep, as was Capricorn, who had apparently been fed and had fallen asleep again, which made the skeleton smile as he quietly left the room. Everyone else was also asleep still and he checked the time to see it was seven o'clock in the morning. Nodding to himself, he grabbed a bite to eat and pulled out a notepad and a pen.

Frisk, Chara, and Asriel were still having nightmares over what had happened in the Underground, as was he. Chara dreamed she had died and was a spirit bent on revenge while Asriel had dreamed he was Flowey again. Frisk had a hard time going through the Underground, but she had persevered to be a pacifist, which hadn't been easy when she faced Undyne and Asgore, though she had convinced them that they didn't have to fight her.

He wrote down some numbers and calculations, nodding before looking up to see only a few minutes had passed, which gave him time.

He went over the numbers again. "If there is a change here, then...surely it can still give us our happy ending," he said to himself.

He was sure of it. What had happened with the children falling into the Underground would still happen, but they wouldn't die. And neither would Chara and Asriel.

He nodded. "That's where it all started," he said. "When Chara died and Asriel died trying to grant his sister's last wish."

He remembered it as if it was yesterday. Chara becoming so sick and Gaster frantically trying to save her, but she had died and Asriel had been heartbroken and was being a good brother by bringing her back to the surface when the humans had attacked, killing him too, making him hate humans with a vegeance. Asgore had at first hated humans too as he had been grieving the loss of his children and the whole Underground had been hurting from the loss of the two royal children.

"If I can make the change so that Chara and Asriel live, then Asgore won't hate humans, Toriel won't leave him, and they'll be happy," Sans murmured softly. "And then the other six children will be taken care of by us and won't be hurt."

He nodded, standing up. "I'm going to do it," he said firmly. "For Frisk. For Chara. For Asriel. For everyone."

He jotted down a note for the family and then teleported away, taking the notepad and pen with him.

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A moment later, he opened his eyes, finding himself in the Underground again and in Hotland. He gazed around before remembering that Frisk had told him about how she had found Gaster's old lab and him when he was still in ghost form.

The door was still there and he opened it, finding the lab and his eyes settled right on Gaster's time machine. It was almost complete, but not quite. Something that would change in a moment or two.

Using his powers, Sans got to work and got the machine operational. He entered in the coordinates carefully, double-checking to make sure he had it right. "I have to get there after monsters have been sealed away in the Underground, but before Chara has fallen down here," he said aloud, checking the coordinates three more times before he was satisfied. "Alright, here goes."

He was about to step inside the cockpit of the machine when it suddenly began glowing brightly, brighter than it should have and he heard a ripping sound before a dark, swirling vortex appeared in the cockpit of the machine and sucked him in before he had a chance to try to escape or grab something to stop himself from being pulled into it.

As he got pulled further in, he grew scared that he would get blown off course and he wouldn't make it to the past. He tried to use his powers, but the G-forces were too strong, making it hard for him to concentrate. A moment later, he began to feel tired and realized the G-forces were making him pass out. He tried to fight it, but it was no use. "No," he said as he felt consciousness drifting away. "Chara. Frisk. Asriel."

He spoke their names softly and suddenly, he felt four hands grab him. "Hold on!" A voice called out. "We've got you!"

"We need to get him out of here!" Another voice said urgently. "The vortex is going to collapse!"

"Can you stop it?" The first voice asked.

"I'll try, but not before you and Sans are out of danger!" The second voice replied.

Sans didn't recognize the voices as he finally gave up trying to stay awake and passed out. Feeling him go limp, the people holding him tightened their grip. "Hang on!" The second person said before opening a portal nearby. "Quick! Head through there!"

The first person didn't argue, pulling Sans with them and making it to the portal safely and going through it, making sure the unconscious skeleton made it through too. Seeing they were safe, the second person pulled out his favorite tool, which was also his weapon, and got to work on stopping the vortex. It took a little bit of concentration, but he succeeded in stopping it and repairing the damage that had been done. He turned to find his mate, a young human woman, sitting by the couch with Sans passed out on the floor. "Is he alright, my love?" He asked her.

"Other than the G-forces tiring him out, he seems to be alright," she replied. "He's fortunate, my love. If we had been a second too late...,"

"Something worse might have happened," he said, looking down at the hoodie-wearing skeleton. "Let's get him to the guest room where he'll be more comfortable."

They picked up Sans gently and carried him to the guest room, finding two others waiting for them when they arrived. "Did you get him?" Asked one of them.

"We did," the young woman said.

"What was he doing?" The second stranger asked.

"Going back into the past," the young woman's lover said.

"But why?" The first stranger asked, adjusting his shirt that had a checkered pattern with various shades of blue.

"He could have been hurt," the second stranger, who wore a purple-and-fushia checkered shirt, said in concern. "What was he trying to accomplish?"

"Guess we'll have to ask him when he wakes up," the young woman said, looking at her lover, who looked thoughtful. "What is it, my love?" She asked.

He looked at her. "Sans must have been trying to change something," he said. "Maybe even prevent something."

Her eyes widened. "The monsters' banishment?" She asked before looking panicked. "But...that can't be altered!"

He shook his head. "No, not that," he said. "Something else. Maybe something he witnessed."

"Well, we won't know unless we ask him when he wakes up," the person wearing the blue-checkered shirt said.

His mate nodded. "Let's hope whatever he was trying to accomplish doesn't disrupt something that will threaten the universe," she said.

They all nodded in agreement as they left Sans to recover from the ordeal, but the worry they felt wouldn't leave them, no matter how much they tried to not worry.

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**Well, looks like Sans might have hit a few snags, but who are his rescuers and who are the strangers with them? Are they allies? Foes? That will be revealed in the next chapter. :) **

**Please leave a review, but no flames! **

**GoldGuardian2418 **


	3. Allies

**Chapter 3: Allies **

"Do you think he'll be alright?" A voice asked.

"I believe so, my love," a male voice answered.

"But what could he be hoping to accomplish?" Another voice asked.

"Try not to worry so much, my dear," said another male voice. "The important thing is that we were able to save him."

"Yes," came the first voice. "Us pulling him out and you two helping us to keep his HP up."

Sans heard these voices and opened his eyes, groaning a little as he turned over and sat up, finding himself in an unfamiliar bed. Getting up, he looked around at the unfamiliar room before snapping his fingers to straighten out the blankets he had been resting under and going to the door.

A Gaster Blaster colored with patches of fushia and purple greeted him and he nearly jumped out of his slippers. "It's alright," he heard a female voice say, one that he recognized to be the third voice he had heard. "Tornado won't hurt you."

He turned to see who was speaking and found four people sitting on some nearby couches in a living room. Three of them were skeletons and one was a human. The human stood up, relief showing on her face. "You're awake," she said, her voice sounding relieved. "We were worried about you."

The skeleton that had been sitting beside her now stood up, as did the other two, allowing Sans to fully observe them.

One skeleton was a female who had long blonde hair and wore a dark purple shirt, white jeans, and purple-and-pink sneakers. Over the purple shirt, she wore another shirt that had fushia-and-pink squares in a checkered pattern on it, giving the inclination that the Gaster Blaster, Tornado, was hers. Beside her was a skeleton that looked similar to him, but wore a blue shirt, dark blue jeans, brown boots, a brown hat, and over his blue shirt, he wore another shirt that was checkered with various shades of blue.

The human girl had brown hair and brown eyes and wore a brown shirt with dark blue jeans and black sneakers. The skeleton beside her was dressed in brown and had a paintbrush attached to his back while a sash that held different bottles of paint crossed his body diagonally. His eyes were different as one was colored blue and the other was a yellow star.

Sans looked curious. "Who are you all?" He asked.

The human stepped forward. "My name is Charlotte. I'm a storyteller," she said and gestured to the skeleton beside her. "And this is my intended, Ink, the guardian of the various Undertale universes."

Ink nodded and waved a greeting as Charlotte gestured to the other two. "And these two are Opa and his mate Tala, the guardian of an Undertale AU called OceanPatch," she continued before gesturing to the Gaster Blaster. "And you've already met Tornado, Tala's Gaster Blaster."

Sans nodded as the other two greeted him with friendly nods. "Okay, so...where am I?" He asked.

"In mine and Ink's home," Charlotte replied. "We sensed something had happened with your time machine and found you about to be sucked into a rip in the vortex."

"Charlotte and I were able to grab you and get you here while Tala and Opa made sure that your HP was at full," Ink said.

"By the way, what were you doing before they rescued you?" Opa asked.

"What were you looking to accomplish?" Tala asked in concern.

Seeing he was among friends, Sans took a deep breath. "I need to get back to the past," he said. "Back to when Chara first fell."

They all looked at each other and Charlotte looked worried. "You...weren't going back to the time before the monsters were sealed in the Underground?" She asked.

He shook his head. "No, too far back," he said. "And...it wouldn't change anything."

She shook her head. "No, sadly," she said softly.

"But why go back to when Chara first fell?" Tala asked.

Sans took another deep breath. "I want to stop Chara from becoming a spirit bent on revenge and to stop Asriel from becoming Flowey," he said.

The four looked at each other before Ink spoke up. "Sans...what you're planning may not work," he said gently. "Any changes in the past will change the future."

"Yes, but I've gone over everything and if the numbers are right, then we should all still get our happy ending."

Opa spoke up. "What about the family you've gained in Ida, Hope, Capricorn, and Michael? Or the others?" He asked.

"I've taken them all into account," Sans said. "I want to stop the nightmares that plague Frisk, Chara, and Asriel."

He looked determined. "I love them all and I don't want to see them suffering those nightmares anymore."

"Your idea is a good one, Sans," Tala said. "But...are you sure the end result will be the same?"

"I'll make sure it is," he said. "It has to be."

The four nodded as Tornado gently nudged Sans' shoulder, giving him a gentle lick on the face, making him chuckle as he petted her nose gently. Charlotte stood up.

"Well, I wish you the best, Sans," she said, pulling something out of her pocket. It looked like a small book and she handed it to him. "This is a communicator," she said. "If you need help, use this to contact me, but it must only be used if the situation is dire."

Grateful to her, he nodded. "Thank you," he said.

Tala and Opa came up to him and hugged him. "Be careful, Sans," the female skeleton said to him. "Your journey will not be easy."

"But to get the happy ending for everyone, never lose your determination," Opa said.

He nodded and waved to them as they waved goodbye and headed back to their AU. Ink grabbed his brush and hugged Charlotte, kissing her on the mouth. She kissed him back. "Be careful, my artist," she said to him lovingly.

"I will, my lovely author," he replied with a smile.

Charlotte then turned to Sans and hugged him. "I hope your idea works, Sans," she said sincerely. "Those kids don't deserve those horrible nightmares."

"No, they don't," the blue hoodie-wearing skeleton said. "And thank you again, Charlotte."

She smiled. "You're welcome," she said softly and waved as he and Ink vanished into a portal and into the void.

Ink turned to Sans. "I'll get you back to the time when Chara first fell," he said with a nod before softly smiling. "That kid didn't deserve what happened to her and neither did Asriel."

Sans nodded. "That's why I want to prevent that bad stuff from happening to them," he said. "Not only to stop the nightmares in the present, but because what happened to them was...horrible."

The painter skeleton nodded and led Sans a bit further into the blackness of the void before thrusting out his paintbrush and bringing it down to form a portal. "Okay, this is it," he said. "Be careful."

"Thanks," the blue hoodie-wearing skeleton said before taking a deep breath and stepping into the portal, hope filling him that he could stop the horrors that had happened to Chara and Asriel, stop the nightmares, and give everyone the happy ending.

It was a big risk, but he was willing to take it. For the kids.

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**Will Sans make it to the past to when Chara first fell? That will be revealed in the next chapter. :) **

**Ink!Sans belongs to Myebi on Deviantart. (Myebi is also known as comyet on Tumblr). Charlotte, Tala, Opa, and Tornado belong to me. :) **

**Please leave a review, but no flames! **

**GoldGuardian2418 **


	4. The First Fall

**Chapter 4: The First Fall **

Sans exited the portal and watched as it closed up behind him before he turned to find himself right outside the Ruins. A ray of sunlight shone on a patch of golden flowers, which looked undisturbed. He nodded to himself.

_If I'm in the past right now, then Asriel hasn't turned into Flowey and monsters have been in the underground for quite some time, _he thought to himself. _Which means Chara may be falling in very soon. Asriel found her laying in the patch of flowers, but it's a steep drop from that hole Frisk told me about. Maybe I can catch Chara as she falls in. _

Just then, Sans was startled out of his thoughts by a terrified scream. He looked up to see someone falling rapidly towards where he was. A closer look showed that the person had brown hair and wore a yellow and green striped shirt. Without hesitation, the skeleton moved quickly to where he was underneath the child and lifted his arms up, prepared to catch her.

The child was still screaming and had curled up, apparently accepting that she wasn't going to survive the fall and her eyes were shut tight, so she didn't see that someone was below her with arms open and ready to stop her fall.

Sans braced himself and caught Chara successfully, wrapping his arms around her snugly, but not too tight. He was shocked to realize that she didn't weigh much at all. _She must have not had a good life on the surface, like Frisk, _he thought to himself as he was horrified to realize that he was able to feel each bone of her ribs as if her skin was stretched tight over them. That worried him greatly.

Chara was still curled up, but then noticed that she wasn't falling anymore and that something was holding her, something that had stopped a painful landing. She lifted her head and opened her eyes, glancing around before hearing a throat being cleared gently and she turned to meet the face of her rescuer.

Red eyes widened in fright and she screamed, struggling to get free of the skeleton who held her, but he didn't let go. He slightly tightened his hold on her to try and get her to stop struggling as he was afraid that she would get injured badly in her current state.

"Let me go!" She pleaded, her voice tight with fear. "Don't hurt me! Please! Let go!"

But the blue-clad arms didn't let go. "Hey, hey, easy, kiddo," a voice said softly and she looked around to see who was speaking. "I'm not going to hurt you, Chara."

Now realizing it was the skeleton speaking and that he knew her name, she became even more frightened and struggled harder, tears beginning to fall from her eyes. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get free of her captor.

Sans sighed when he saw that instead of calming her down, his words had just scared her more. He fell into thought while still holding her and then an idea hit him and he smiled. "Well, let's see if that works," he said to himself as he sat down, still holding Chara securely as she was still struggling somewhat, but was mostly crying.

Gently, the pun-loving skeleton began wiggling his fingers into the young girl's stomach and grinned at hearing a laugh work its way through her sobs and tears. "Well, well, what have I got here?" He said teasingly. "A ticklish little one, hmm?"

He grinned wider at hearing another laugh from her, this one sounding much stronger now that her tears were beginning to dry up with her growing laughter. "Cootchie, cootchie, coo!" He cooed at her, tickling her stomach with both hands and one finger wiggled into her belly button.

A squeal left Chara's mouth before she dissolved into laughter and giggles, her tears going away as the tickle torture continued, drawing more laughter from her as she began to wonder who her captor was. If he was a monster, he wasn't acting mean to her. In fact, she heard him chuckling in amusement as he tickled her. "Can't escape the tickle monster, can you, Chara?" He asked teasingly.

She wondered how he knew her name, but also noted that his voice was playful, which made her giggle and laugh harder.

Sans grinned at seeing the child becoming a giggly mess. "You know, I'm getting kind of hungry," he said with a teasing smile as he lifted up her shirt a little to expose her stomach. "And that tummy looks so delicious."

She was laughing too hard to respond, though she felt slight fear when he said that, fear that dissipated a moment later when she felt him blow a huge raspberry right onto her belly button. A loud squeal left her as she squirmed to get away.

"EEEEEEK! NOT THAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAT!" She pleaded.

The skeleton chuckled. "Oh, yes that," he said teasingly, blowing another raspberry into her stomach before he pretended to munch on her stomach, being careful not to use too much pressure. He didn't want to make her afraid just as he was trying to calm her down and with her thin state, he was concerned about her bones being fragile too.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Sans chuckled at hearing her laughter, but noticed that her face was turning red, indicating that she was at her limit. Smiling, he stopped the tickle torture, holding the brown-haired child in a hug as she regained her breath. She looked up at him with red eyes that looked uncertain, but saw him smile at her. "You feeling better, kiddo?" He asked.

She nodded. "How...How do you know my name?" She asked.

"I just know, baby bones," he said, rubbing her back gently, feeling her rib cage stick out. "You haven't had anything to eat in a while, have you?"

She looked down at her hands, which gave him all the answer he needed. "You know, I know a nice couple who would love to have you as a daughter," he said. "They even have a son who's your age and I happen to know he would love having a sister."

Chara looked up at him, looking uncertain, but she couldn't hear any lies in his voice. "I...I thought monsters were mean," she said softly.

The skeleton shook his head. "Nah, not the monsters in the Underground, kiddo," he said with a smile. "Besides, would a mean monster tickle you to make you feel better?"

She shook her head, knowing he had a point. He was being kind to her, something that no one else on the surface had been to her. Sans stood up, picking her up into his arms. "Come on," he said. "The couple live a few towns away."

He teleported to the other side of the ruins, where it was snowing. The cold air struck them and Chara shivered, her thin shirt not doing a lot to keep her warm. "Hmm, let's find you a jacket," Sans said. "But first, I'll get you to a friend of mine. It'll be warm at his place."

The skeleton headed for Grillby's, smiling at seeing that it was just like he remembered it being before they were all freed. He headed in and found the Royal Guard Dogs at their table, eating and playing cards. Grillby was at the bar, drying some glasses, and had looked up when the two had entered. Surprise registered on the fire elemental's face as he came around the counter and walked up to Sans and Chara.

The young girl looked a bit fearful and hid her face into Sans' shoulder, clinging to him. He rubbed her back gently to soothe her. "Hey, it's okay," he soothed. "Grillbz won't hurt ya."

Grillby gazed at the child. "Is that a human?" He asked in surprise.

Sans nodded. "Her name is Chara," he said. "I'm guessing she was trying to escape a bad home life and came up the mountain and fell in."

While he knew that Chara had indeed been escaping a bad home life, he knew Grillby wouldn't understand if he told him that he knew about Chara before this time. It would be too confusing and might alter time in a way that he didn't want. He was going to have to be very careful.

Grillby placed a warm hand gently on Chara's shoulder. She flinched a little, but after a moment, reached up to touch his hand with her own. Sans nodded gently. "Chara, how about you stay here with Grillbz and I'll be back once I find you a jacket?" He said. "It's going to be cold going through Snowdin and possibly Waterfall."

She looked uncertain, but slowly nodded. "You'll...You'll come back, right?" She asked.

"I'll be back," he promised before looking up at Grillby. "Grillbz, will you keep an eye on her for me?"

"Of course," the fire elemental said, gently taking Chara into his arms. She instantly snuggled into his hug as he was warm and he chuckled, rubbing her back. "Are you hungry, little one?"

She bit her lip, but nodded. "A little," she admitted.

Sans took out some gold coins and handed them to Grillby, winking before teleporting away. Nodding, the bartender brought Chara over to the bar as she held onto him, his warmth chasing away the cold. Smiling at her, Grillby went into the kitchen and grabbed an order of a burger and fries that was hot and ready for customers that were on the go. Balancing the tray in one hand, something that he noted seemed to amaze the young one in his other arm, he sat down in one of the booths and set her in his lap.

Chara looked at the food uncertainly and looked back up at him. He smiled at her. "Go on," he said, gently tickling her sides. "It's for you."

Giggling from the tickling, she reached for the burger and began eating slowly at first, but then attacked the food with gusto. She suddenly remembered her manners and looked sheepish at the way she was attacking the food, but a warm hand gently rubbed her back. "You were hungry, young one," Grillby said gently.

Relieved that he didn't scold her, she finished eating, feeling better now that she had something in her stomach. A bowl of macaroni and cheese came into her line of sight and she blinked, looking at Grillby, who was standing beside her. She wondered how he had gotten up without her noticing. He chuckled at her surprised expression, gently pinching the right side of her face in affection. "Eat up, little one," he said encouragingly.

Giving him a grateful smile, she continued eating, again remembering not to eat so fast. She had to admit, the food was really good and she was feeling a lot better now that her stomach was getting full.

Sans returned about ten minutes later, having found a warm jacket from one of the shopkeepers and he smiled at seeing that Chara was giggling as Grillby gently tickled her sides. He also noticed a few empty dishes on the table and nodded, glad to see that the girl had eaten. "Hey, kiddo," he said, making her perk up as he came forward. "I found a jacket for you."

She grinned and turned to Grillby, hugging him. "Thank you," she said softly to him.

He smiled. "You're welcome, little one," he said, rubbing her back. "Do you want anything else to eat?"

She shook her head. "No, thank you," she said politely. "It was really delicious."

A warm hand ruffled her hair gently, making her giggle again before Grillby set her down in front of Sans and the skeleton helped her into the warm jacket. "Thanks for taking care of her, Grillbz," he said. "How much do I owe ya?"

The fire elemental shook his head. "What you gave me was enough," he said. "Though...your tab is still there."

Sans laughed. "Yeah, I'll pay that sometime," he said with a wink.

Grillby chuckled before looking curious. "Sans, where are you taking Chara?" He asked.

"To Toriel and Asgore," the skeleton replied.

The bartender smiled. "Ah, they will love her," he said. "Especially the king. He has a big soft spot for children."

Chara's head shot up. "King?" She asked.

Grillby smiled. "Sans didn't tell you, little one?" He asked in amusement. "Asgore and Toriel are the king and queen of the monsters."

The child looked nervous, but Sans gently squeezed her shoulder. "They'll love you," he said reassuringly. "And Grillbz is right. Asgore does have a soft spot for kids. And Toriel loves being a mother, so you'll fit in just fine."

Their kind words helped a bit and waving goodbye to Grillby, she followed Sans out into the snow, reaching up to take his hand, but then pulling away, uncertain. Sans, seeing this, smiled and held out his hand. "You can hold my hand if you want, kiddo," he said.

Slowly, she took his hand and he gently squeezed it, which helped her to relax. They passed other monsters along the way and they all waved greetings, smiling at Chara, who looked relieved that they all didn't mind her being a human. Sans smiled and gently tickled her neck, making her giggle. "See? You'll fit in just fine here," he said.

It wasn't long before they made it to the castle and entered. Chara stuck close to Sans as she became nervous. When they approached the throne room and the guards opened the doors, the young girl slipped behind Sans, following him but hiding so that she wouldn't be seen right away.

"Why, Sans!" She heard a big voice say happily. "What a pleasant surprise!"

"Yes, indeed," came a kind female voice.

"Sans!" A young voice said happily before running feet were heard and two arms wrapped around the skeleton's torso.

Chuckling, the skeleton returned the hug. "Hey, Asriel," he said. "How's our favorite prince doing?"

"Good," Asriel said before noticing Chara and he blinked. "Hey, who's that?"

Chara looked nervous as all the attention was on her and she looked down, unsure of what to say or do. Sans smiled and gently pulled Chara to stand beside him. "Asgore, Toriel, Asriel, this is Chara," he said. "She fell down into the mountain outside the ruins."

"Fell in?!" Toriel asked in horror. "Oh, gracious! Was she hurt?"

The skeleton shook his head. "I caught her, but...," he paused. "Her life on the surface wasn't good."

The queen came forward and kneeled in front of Chara, noticing that the girl looked thin. "Oh, you poor child," she said. "Are you hungry?"

Chara shook her head. "Sans took me to Grillby's," she said softly. "Mr. Grillby gave me food."

Toriel looked relieved to hear that. Asgore came forward as well, smiling at Chara. "Welcome to the Underground, little one," he said, his voice kind.

Asriel went up to her and hugged her, surprising her, but she returned the hug. Sans smiled at seeing this, knowing this meant that the small goat had accepted the human and he had a feeling he knew what was coming next.

The goat prince looked up at his parents. "Mom? Dad? Can Chara be my sister?" He asked.

The brown-haired girl was surprised at that and looked at Toriel and Asgore, who both smiled. "The child does need a home," the queen said. "And we had been thinking about having another child."

"That we have," Asgore nodded. "And it seems we've been granted another child to join our family." He looked at Chara, who looked stunned. "What do you think, little one? Would you like for my wife and I to adopt you?"

She blinked. "You...You would do that?" She asked, surprised.

Toriel nodded. "If you are alright with that," she said kindly.

Chara looked at Sans, who smiled and nodded encouragingly. Taking a deep breath, the human girl looked at the kind king and queen, seeing that they were being truthful and Asriel was looking hopeful. "I'd...I'd like that," she said softly.

"Then it is official," Asgore said with a nod. "Welcome to the family, our little princess."

Toriel smiled and nodded before summoning a guard. A turtle came up to them and bowed. "Send word throughout the Underground," Toriel told him. "That we have a new daughter and the monsters have a new princess."

"As you command, my Queen," he said and headed out to spread the word.

As Chara was hugged by her new parents and her new brother, Sans smiled and nodded. _Okay, now that Chara is the princess, I have to make sure she doesn't get hurt, otherwise my plan to alter time won't go the way I want it to, _he thought to himself as he inwardly swore that he'd protect Chara and Asriel, no matter what.

* * *

**So, Chara has come and now she has a new family. :) **

**Can anyone guess who the turtle guard was? I'll give you all a hint: he carries a hammer. :) **

**Next up: we see our favorite pun-loving skeleton become protective of the kids who he sees as his niece and nephew. :) **

**Please leave a review, but no flames! **

**GoldGuardian2418**


	5. Protective Skeleton

**Chapter 5: Protective Skeleton **

Chara was sleeping soundly in her new bed in her new room. The combination of good food from Grillby's, the love she received from her new family, along with the warm, new clothes and exhaustion from climbing up the mountain and falling in had made it so that the moment her head hit the pillow of her new bed, she had conked out.

Toriel was up making breakfast when she saw her son come in. "Good morning, Asriel," she said with a smile.

"Good morning, Mama," he said before glancing around. "Where's Dad and Chara?"

"Well, your father had an early meeting with some of the advisors and I believe Chara is still sleeping," the queen replied before looking concerned. "I'm worried about that poor child. She looked so exhausted when we brought her to her room last night."

"Sans did say her life on the surface wasn't good," Asriel said softly. "I know why humans were cruel to us, but...why be cruel to their own kind?"

"I don't know," Toriel replied. "But it is disheartening. Perhaps we are all safer here in the Underground for now, despite it...being our prison."

The small goat looked worried. "Mom, do you think...Chara will like it here?" He asked. "I want to be a good brother to her. She looked so scared last night that I just wanted to hug her and tell her that I'd keep her safe."

The queen smiled at her son. "I'm sure she will," she said. "And she seemed very happy to have you as her brother."

Asgore came in, smiling at his wife and son. "Good morning," he said.

"Morning, Dad," Asriel said, going over to hug his father.

"Good morning, dear," Toriel said with a smile, giving her husband a loving kiss, which he returned.

The goat king noticed their newest family member wasn't in the kitchen. "Where is our daughter?" He asked curiously.

"I believe she's still sleeping," his wife answered. "Would you be a dear and go wake her? Breakfast is nearly ready."

Nodding, Asgore walked to the hall where the bedrooms were and paused at Chara's door. "Chara?" He called out calmly, gently knocking on the door. Getting no response, he opened the door and looked at the bed, smiling when he saw the brown-haired girl cocooned in the covers and still sleeping. He went over to the bed and stood by it while reaching out a hand and gently stroking his daughter's hair. "Chara? Wake up, little princess," he said.

She groaned a little as she blinked her eyes open, letting out a yawn as she rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?" She asked.

"Almost eight o'clock," he said. "You've slept for nearly twelve hours, little one."

Chara yawned again. "Guess I was tired," she said softly before settling back down again.

Asgore chuckled, seeing she was still sleepy. "Looks like this calls for a special wake-up call," he said, gently pulling back the covers and his furry fingers wiggled into the young girl's stomach.

A squeal left the young girl before she began giggling and squirming as her new father tickled her. "Tickle, tickle, tickle, little one," he chuckled, his fingers moving to her underarms as he then blew a big raspberry into her stomach.

Chara let out another squeal at that. "DAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHADDY! THAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAT TIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHICKLES!" She managed to say through her laughter.

"Oh? Is my little princess ticklish?" Asgore asked teasingly, his furry fingers moving to her bare feet and tickling her toes, which made the young girl squeal again before her face began turning red, indicating she was at her limit. Seeing this, the large goat king stopped the tickle torture, picking up his new daughter and holding her in a gentle hug.

After a few minutes, Chara regained her breath and smiled up at her father. "Morning, Daddy," she said happily.

"Good morning, pumpkin," he said with a smile. "Are you ready for breakfast?"

The young girl's stomach growled, to which she looked a bit embarrassed. "Um, I guess so," she said hesitantly.

Asgore could plainly see that his new daughter had no doubt been denied a lot of food before she had fallen into the Underground. "Chara, you'll never be denied food here, sweetheart," he promised. "We have plenty of food and you'll never go hungry again."

She looked a little unsure, but nodded. "I just...I don't want you to regret adopting me," she admitted.

The large king froze on the spot at hearing that, shock filling him. He looked at her and noticed she flinched, looking a little frightened. "Chara," he said, keeping his voice even. "Did...Did someone adopt you and then...send you away?"

He tried to word his question gently, but noticed tears coming out of his daughter's eyes as she nodded. "They...They said I wasn't a good girl and...they nullified the adoption," she said, her voice going small. "I...I tried to be a good girl for them."

Asgore felt anger fill him that someone would be so cruel to a sweet child. "Chara, you are a good girl," he said firmly, gently tilting her chin to look up at him and he wiped away her tears. "Toriel and I will never regret adopting you, nor will we ever send you away. You have my word as both your father and the King of the Underground."

The young girl looked up at him, seeing he was serious about what he said. "Promise?" She asked softly.

"I promise, pumpkin," he said assuredly.

Feeling better, she hugged him, snuggling into his fur as he brought her to the kitchen where Toriel was just setting out the plates filled with food and Asriel was setting the table. "Ah, there you two are," the female goat said with a smile.

Chara turned and reached for her, to which Asgore handed the child to her new mother, who took her in his arms and hugged her. "Did you sleep well, my child?" She asked.

"Yes, Mama," she said, hugging her before Toriel set her down and Chara went to Asriel, who beamed and hugged his new sister.

After breakfast, Asgore and Toriel had some meetings with the Royal Guard. "Asriel, would you be willing to show Chara around?" Asgore said.

"Yes, Father," the young goat said. "Is it okay if we go to Snowdin too?"

"As long as you wear your warm coats," Toriel said in a motherly voice.

"We will, Mama," Chara promised.

* * *

_Outside of Snowdin, at a sentry post..._

One thing Sans was relieved to see was that he didn't run into himself in the past, which was good. It would be really confusing otherwise, though he did wonder if his allies had something to do with that. A familiar laugh reached him and he looked up to see Papyrus was heading towards him. The tall skeleton stopped short in surprise at seeing his older brother at his post and not sleeping.

"Why, brother, you're already here," he said in surprise.

Sans chuckled. "Yeah, thought I'd get an early start," he said. "Whatcha up to, bro?"

"Well, I'm going to get my orders from Undyne," Papyrus said, looking happy. "Maybe we'll spar today."

The shorter skeleton chuckled. "Well, after my shift, I'm off to see Chara and Asriel," he said.

"The new princess?" The tall skeleton asked, having heard about the new princess the other day.

"That's right," Sans said.

Papyrus looked a bit curious. "Sans, is it true she's a human?" He asked.

"She is, bro. One that wasn't treated right on the surface," the shorter skeleton said seriously. "I managed to catch her when she fell in, but she was thinner than she should have been for her age and she was scared to death thinking I was going to hurt her."

"But you wouldn't do that," the taller skeleton said before looking hesitant. "Would you?"

"No," Sans said firmly. "That kid's been through too much. She needs a lot of love and care."

Papyrus nodded. "We can prove to her that we'll never hurt her," he said. "Even though we are monsters...,"

"We're not evil," his brother finished before they heard giggling and looked to see two figures coming towards them. "Well, how about that? Looks like you're going to meet the new princess now, bro."

The tall skeleton perked up at that and stood beside Sans as Asriel spotted them and ran up to them. "Sans! Papyrus!" He called out happily, glomping the two, who returned the hugs just as happily.

Chara would have followed, except she saw the tall skeleton beside Sans and she backed away a little, fearful of the new monster. Papyrus noticed her hesitation and kneeled down, giving her a warm smile. "Hello, Princess Chara," he said respectfully. "I am the Great Papyrus, brother of Sans."

His greeting helped calm some of her fear and she saw Sans smile at her. "It's okay, kiddo, my bro won't hurt you," he said.

Trusting him, Chara took a deep breath and slowly came closer to the tall skeleton, who stayed in his kneeling position, still smiling warmly at her. Asriel and Sans were also smiling encouragingly at Chara to help her.

Seeing that and deciding that if Sans was gentle, then surely his brother was too, the young girl continued forward until she was standing in front of the tall skeleton, who was still smiling as he held out his arms in front of him in a gesture of asking if she wanted a hug, turning his gloved palms upward toward the sky.

Hesitantly, she reached for him and allowed him to pick her up and bring her into a hug. The moment she felt the gentle arms hugging her, she relaxed and returned the hug, liking the tall skeleton, who seemed eager to show her that he meant no harm. "Welcome to the Underground, Your Highness," Papyrus said respectfully.

Chara smiled and looked up at him. "You can call me Chara, Papyrus," she said.

Papyrus seemed to beam at that before he noticed the time and gently set her down. "I must hurry to go see Undyne," he said, gently ruffling Chara's hair and gently rubbing the fur on top of Asriel's head. "I'll see you both later."

With that, the tall skeleton ran off with his signature laugh, something that made Chara giggle. "He's funny," she said. "And cool too."

"That he is," Sans said with a chuckle as Asriel laughed a bit too.

"Hey, Chara. Have you ever built a snowman before?" The goat asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, but I haven't done one in a while," she admitted.

"Come on. Let's build one together."

As the two started gathering snow, Sans leaned against a nearby tree, watching them like a hawk. He actually started to wonder how Chara had gotten sick. He knew it was never revealed how, which made it difficult to know what had led to her death.

_What could it have been? _He asked himself.

* * *

_In Ink and Charlotte's home..._

Tala's eyes were glowing pink and purple as she was watching Asriel, Chara, and Sans through Tornado's eyes, as the blaster was watching the three too. "He's wondering how Chara got sick," she said and blinked her eyes, which turned back to normal as Tornado reappeared before her and the guardian of OceanPatch turned to Ink. "Ink, how did Chara get sick? I don't recall if it was ever told."

"I'm not sure," the artistic skeleton said before he turned to see his intended was just coming into the room, a tablet in her hands and she looked thoughtful.

"That could work," she said to herself.

"My lovely author?" Ink said gently.

Charlotte looked up from her work, smiling at him. "Yes, my love?" She asked.

"Do you know of how Chara got sick?" He asked. "Sans is wondering, but I don't believe it was revealed."

The brown-haired woman looked thoughtful before she recalled something. "I do remember from some stories, it was revealed that Chara ate some buttercups so that her family could use her soul of determination to be free, but it didn't work out the way she hoped," she said.

Ink nodded and teleported to Sans, who jumped slightly, but relaxed at seeing who it was. "What's up, Ink?" He asked.

The artistic skeleton told him what Charlotte had said. "We don't know if it's absolutely the only way she became sick, but it is possible," Ink said.

Sans nodded. "It's a start," he said. "And I'll know exactly what to watch out for. I can't risk Chara getting sick."

The painter skeleton nodded. "I do hope your plan works, Sans," he said.

"Me too," the shorter skeleton admitted.

Ink left and Sans felt resolve fill him. _I'll watch over Chara and Asriel unfailingly, _he vowed to himself. He didn't want the two to die or turn evil, because if they did, it would defeat his whole purpose of going back in time.

He didn't care if it meant he couldn't be lazy or couldn't take naps all the time. It was for his niece and nephew, as well as his future nieces and nephews and his future family.

He wouldn't fail.

* * *

**A/N: There are some authors who have written that Chara had eaten buttercups, which had made her so ill. I currently can't remember who at the time wrote that in their stories, but if I remember right, they were good stories, so hats off to those wonderful authors. :) **

**Will Sans be able to protect the kids? Stay tuned! And please leave a review, but no flames! **

**GoldGuardian2418 **


	6. Fears And Truths

**Chapter 6: Fears And Truths **

A couple weeks had now passed and the change in Chara was obvious. She was no longer afraid of any of the monsters, she was now at a healthy weight, and wasn't looking so pale now. Even her red eyes seemed clearer now. At first, she was unsure about how everyone would react to her red eyes, but they all treated it like it was normal, which to them it was.

Sans smiled as he watched the two play in the snow before seeing them building what looked like a snow fort and grew curious, watching more closely now.

Chara giggled. "I've never built a snow fort before," she admitted.

Asriel giggled. "It's a good defense for a snowball fight," he said. "Let's see if we can get Sans."

The young girl giggled. "Won't he catch us?" She asked.

"Maybe, but we'll work on not getting caught."

Both giggled as they finished the fort, which was a good one, and they gathered snowballs together before peeking out to see that Sans was nearby and he was watching them, cocking an eyebrow at them. "What are you two up to?" He asked.

Giggling answered him and he came over to see. Just as he got within a few feet of the fort, something gently smacked him and he looked down to see that two snowballs had burst against his hoodie and giggles came from the fort. "Oh, so that's what it is, hmm?" The skeleton asked. "Okay then. _Snow _it's my turn."

The kids looked at each other before squealing in surprise as some soft, powdery snow was gently dumped on them, courtesy of Sans' magic. Of course, that just made them more playful and Asriel playfully pounced on Chara, tickling her and making her laugh happily before she turned the tables on him and pounced on him, making him laugh as she tickled him.

The tickle fight and snowball fight continued for a bit before Chara began to feel cold and shivered a little, something Asriel noticed. "Chara, are you okay?" He asked.

She nodded. "Just a little cold," she admitted.

He wrapped his arms around her. "Lean on me," he said. "I'll keep you warm."

She gave her brother a grateful smile as she did so and Sans nodded, smiling. "Grillby's isn't far," he said. "Let's see about getting you kids some hot chocolate."

Following him, the two began playing the 'I Spy' game, giggling when each other guessed right, making Sans smile as the two bonded.

"Okay, I spy something...glowing," Chara said.

"Hmm," Asriel said, looking around, but not spotting anything glowing until he looked up to see the sign for Grillby's and smiled. "Is it...the sign for Grillby's restaurant?" He asked.

She giggled. "Yup!" She said. "Your turn."

He smiled. "I spy something yellow," he said.

They looked to see Grillby was at the door of the restaurant and he waved to them. "Is it Grillby?" Chara asked.

"Yup!" Asriel said as the two ran up to the fire elemental, who chuckled and scooped them up into his arms.

"Hello, little ones," he said, noticing how they snuggled closer to him. "Looks like you two are ready for some hot chocolate."

Sans chuckled. "Yup, they are," he said with a smile.

Entering the warm restaurant, Sans and the two kids sat on the barstools and while the skeleton drank his ketchup, the two kids sipped on their hot chocolate, giggling when they got chocolate mustaches.

Chara smiled. "Asriel, I'm not going to lie, this is more fun than I've had in a long time," she admitted.

"Honestly, me too," he admitted. "I've always wanted a sibling and now I've got an awesome sister."

"And I've always wanted a sibling and now I've got an amazing brother," she said before looking a little saddened. "Humans on the surface are wrong. You guys aren't evil and you're nicer than a lot of people I've met."

Sans and Grillby felt their hearts go out to the young child who had suffered so much before meeting them. The fire elemental placed a warm hand on the young girl's shoulder. "You'll never have to worry about those awful people again, Princess," he said, using her title out of respect. "We'll protect you."

She smiled gratefully at him before looking at Asriel and seeing him smile at her as he pulled out a deck of playing cards. "The royal Dog guards gave these to me as a birthday gift last year," he said. "They taught me how to play Speed."

Chara cocked her head puzzedly. "Speed?" She asked.

He smiled. "Here, I'll show you."

Sans smiled again, enjoying seeing the two bond. It was moments like this that made the Underground wonderful and while he couldn't take as many naps, he didn't mind as he enjoyed watching over the prince and princess.

But they had noticed how he seemed to become more watchful over them and protective too until they decided that they'd ask him about it.

* * *

It was a beautiful day and they were in Waterfall, which was warm and not raining, so Chara and Asriel were swimming in the lake. The young girl was at first unsure, but her brother helped her gain her confidence and they were soon splashing each other or timing each other to see how long they could hold their breath or dive the deepest.

Sans was watching them and when they got out to dry off and rest, they approached him. "Sans, can you tell us something?" Chara asked.

He smiled. "Sure, kiddo," he said.

Asriel looked at him. "Is something wrong?" He asked in concern. "We've noticed that you've become watchful of us and more protective."

"Not that we mind that, but...is everything okay?" Chara asked.

The joke-loving skeleton had to give the kids kudos. They were smart and had picked up that he was being very protective of them for a reason, but...he didn't want them to be worried. Plus he didn't want to scare them and he feared they wouldn't believe him if he did tell them. "It's nothing, kiddos," he said reassuringly. "I'm just protective, that's all."

The siblings looked at each other before nodding. "Get him!" Asriel said with a giggle.

"Tickle the skeleton!" Chara cheered as the two glomped Sans, who caught them, but burst into laughter as the kids went for his ribs, which were his ultimate tickle spot.

"WHOAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! KIHIHIHIHIHIDS! NOHOHOHOHOHOT THE RIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIBS!" Sans laughed out as he squirmed, but the two just giggled and continued tickling him.

"Tickle, tickle, Sans!" Chara giggled.

"We've got you!" Asriel said with a laugh.

Laughing harder at their teasing, the skeleton realized that he'd have to turn the tables on them and so, with a burst of energy, he caught the two of them, making them giggle. "Time to fill Waterfall up with the giggles of little baby bones," he said, tickling Chara's stomach with his right hand while tickling Asriel's ears with his left hand.

Both kids giggled and squealed with laughter as he tickled them. "Cootchie, cootchie, coo! Who are my little ticklish prisoners?" He asked teasingly. "Who love getting tickled by their favorite dunkle?"

Both laughed before he finally let them up and they held their arms out to him for a hug. Smiling, he pulled them into a hug and they snuggled into his arms. "Sans, what's a dunkle?" Chara asked curiously.

The skeleton realized she didn't know that term because Frisk had come up with it. "Well, it's someone who's a dad and an uncle," he said. "One of my nieces came up with that to call me before she was adopted because I was like a dad who watched over her, but a fun-loving uncle too. And even after she was adopted, she still calls me that."

Asriel smiled. "I think it suits you," he said. "Can we call you Dunkle Sans, too?"

The skeleton smiled. "Of course you can," he said.

Chara smiled. "Then what's going on, Dunkle Sans?" She asked. "Please tell us."

He looked at them and knew they wouldn't rest until they knew, so he sighed. "I'm scared of losing you two," he said before looking around and kneeling down to their levels. "What I'm going to tell you is something that has to stay between the three of us. No one else can know about this, okay?"

Both nodded and he sighed. "I'm from the future," he said. "In the future, the barrier gets broken and we find allies who help us settle on the surface, but the journey to the barrier breaking isn't easy."

He sighed. "And that's not the worst of it," he continued. "Chara, not long after you fell, you got sick and died."

She gasped in shock and he nodded, looking serious. "You got sick and wanted your family to use your soul to be free, but when you died and asked for a last request, Asriel absorbed the power in your soul and went to grant your last request when he was killed by humans thinking that he had killed you."

Asriel looked really uncomfortable at this. "What happened after?" He asked, afraid to know.

Sans sighed again. "Asgore declared that any humans that fell would be killed and their souls collected and...Chara, you became an evil spirit of vegenance looking for a human you could possess to extract your revenge upon the monsters and Asriel...you became a souless monster and turned into a flower who was power hungry and looking to gain the power of the seven souls needed to break the barrier."

Both kids were horrified at hearing that and had tears in their eyes. "I'll never become that," Chara said firmly. "I never want to hurt any of you. You've taken me in as if I'm one of you. I'd never hurt any of you."

"And I don't want to absorb any souls or hurt anyone either," Asriel said. "I'll never do that."

Sans looked at them both. "You promise me, baby bones?" He asked them.

"We promise, Dunkle Sans," Chara said and Asriel echoed her.

He nodded and smiled. "Remember this, kiddos, you're made of love and compassion. Never forget that, okay?"

"We won't forget," Asriel said as Chara nodded, both hugging the skeleton, who hugged the in return, feeling better that he had told them, but now they shared the heavy burden he did. He hugged them tighter, again vowing to keep them safe.

"I won't let anyone hurt you two," he promised them. "Not for as long as I stand."

* * *

**Well, now Chara and Asriel know about Sans and what could happen. Will they be able to keep their promises and will Sans be able to keep his promise to them? Stay tuned to find out! :) **

**Please leave a review, but no flames! **

**GoldGuardian2418 **


	7. Desperate Measures

**Chapter 7: Desperate Measures **

Chara tried to sneak up quietly on Sans as the skeleton was resting by one of the trees, watching Asriel build a snowman. The small goat was doing a good job and Sans chuckled before sensing the young girl behind him and he at first didn't move before he snapped his fingers, his blue magic surrounding the princess and making her gasp in surprise before he gently pulled her in front of him, chuckling at her. "Nice try, kid," he said before snapping his fingers again.

Chara felt the telekinesis let her go and she gasped as she fell a short distance before landing on Sans' stomach, the magic of his ecto-stomach cushioning her fall. She scrambled to stand up, but heard him chuckle as he gently caught her and playfully tickled her neck, making her giggle. "Dunkle Sans," she said with a half-groan.

"What?" He asked back with a mock-groan, making her giggle again.

Toriel came out, smiling at the scene. "Lunchtime, kids," she called out and the two ran inside while Sans came behind them at a leisurely pace. "Thank you for watching the kids, Sans," Toriel said to him.

"Anytime, Tori. I love watching them," he said. "Chara has certainly come out of her shell."

"Yes, she has," the queen said. "Just the other day, she and Asriel came into our room to wake up Asgore and me and Chara went up and tickled Asgore's ears."

Sans chuckled. "Bet that got him up," he said.

Toriel giggled. "He let out a bleat of surprise and sat up quick, making Chara, Asriel, and myself laugh," she said. "I think she did it because she wanted him to tickle her."

The skeleton smiled. "That seems to be the morning thing, huh?" He asked. "The king tickles her to wake her up."

"And she loves it, no doubt because she knows it's one way of Asgore showing her and Asriel affection and love."

After they ate lunch, Asriel and Chara were about to go play in the playroom when suddenly, they began to not feel good. "Mom?" Asriel said. "I...I don't feel good."

"Me neither," Chara admitted.

Toriel and Asgore grew concerned. "What do you mean?" The king asked.

"I just feel...like I'm sick suddenly," Asriel said before he felt weak.

"That's funny. I feel the same way," Chara replied before groaning and holding her head as a headache came on.

Sans grew worried. "Kids?" He asked, moving towards them.

Suddenly, Chara and Asriel both fell down, sweating and with labored breathing. Asgore wasted no time in fetching the royal doctor while Toriel and Sans got the kids to bed. Both were shivering profusely as if cold, but were burning up with fever. "I don't understand," Toriel said. "They were fine when they were outside and nothing we ate could have done this."

"And we weren't outside for too long and they had their winter clothes on," the skeleton said as Asgore came back with the doctor, who gave the children a checkup, but he was just as surprised to hear that they had suddenly gotten sick.

"Well, I don't know if this is the flu or worse," the doctor said before doing a check on both Chara and Asriel, checking their soul colors. Asriel's soul was dimly glowing white while Chara's had dulled too. The doctor didn't like what he saw. "Whatever this sickness is, it's very serious," he said.

"How serious?" Asgore asked.

The doctor sighed. "If we can't figure out what sickness it is and try to treat it...they could die."

Those words hit Sans like a blow to the chest and he grew scared. "No, they can't die," he said softly to himself.

Seeing the King and Queen talking to the doctor, he slipped out, pulling out the communicator Charlotte had given him and pressed it. "Charlotte, if you can hear me, help," he said.

Moments later, a portal opened and the brown-haired author walked out, seeing Sans' stricken expression. "What happened?" She asked, knowing it was bad if the skeleton had called her.

"The kids are very sick," he said. "It happened suddenly and the doctor said if they can't figure out how to treat the sickness...Chara and Asriel will die."

Charlotte gasped in shock, her eyes wide. "Oh, no," she said, worry in her voice.

He looked at her. "Charlotte, was there anything else about how Chara got sick?" He asked.

She shook her head. "None that I'm aware of other than the buttercups," she admitted.

It was quiet before Sans looked at her. "You're a storyteller, right?" He asked.

"Yes," she said.

He looked desperate. "Can you help the kids?" He asked.

She realized what he was getting at. "Sans, spoken words sometimes don't go the way you want," she admitted.

He grabbed her hands in his. "Charlotte, please," he pleaded. "If they die, I'll never forgive myself and it'll throw everything off."

She understood and looked back at the two kids laying in the beds, looking so sick. She took a deep breath. "There is something I remember learning sometime back," she said, making Sans look at her. "In each AU of Undertale and other universes, there are books for each one. These books are magic, as are the pens that go with them. They can change the story to what the author writes."

The skeleton looked at her. "You mean...you could write something and it'll happen?" He asked.

"That's what's been said," she said with a nod. "But...no one knows where the books are. They are hidden randomly and in a place that isn't easily accessible."

While that did complicate things, to hear that there was a chance to keep the kids from dying gave Sans some hope and he became desperate. He wouldn't let the kids die. "Charlotte, if I can find that book and pen, will you use it to help the kids get better? Please?" He pleaded.

She looked at him, seeing how he was so desperate and how torn up he was about the possibility of the kids dying. She didn't want them to die either and so took a deep breath and nodded. "I promise, Sans, if you can find the book and pen and bring them to me, I'll use them to help the kids," she said. "But be careful. The journey to find these items is dangerous and you could get injured or sick too."

Though grateful for her warning, he decided he wasn't going to let that stop him. "I don't care what happens to me," he said, tears gathering in his eyes. "I have to save the kids. I promised."

Her brown eyes softened. "And I know how you feel about promises," she said softly before glancing back into the room. It looked like the kids were resting easy now, but that could change in a heartbeat. The author put on a necklace and pressed it, becoming invisible, something that surprised Sans and he looked around before feeling a hand on his shoulder. "Go, Sans. I'll keep an eye on things here."

He touched the invisible hand. "Charlotte, I can't thank you enough," he said.

"Thank me when we get the kids feeling better again," she said. "Hurry. And good luck."

The joke-loving skeleton went into the room, seeing the king and queen talking to the doctor as he went up to the kids. Chara and Asriel woke up a little and reached for him, to which he hugged them gently. "Hang in there, baby bones," he said softly. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"What are you going to do?" Chara asked weakly.

"I'm going to find something to help you kids get better," he said honestly.

"Come back soon?" Asriel asked weakly.

"I'll try," Sans promised. "You guys get some rest."

As they settled down, he left the room and teleported himself to the Ruins to search there first for the book Charlotte mentioned.

He would have to be quick. He was in a race against the clock.

* * *

**Uh-oh! The kids are sick. Will Sans find the book in time? Or will he face more obstacles? Stay tuned to find out! :) **

**And please leave a review, but no flames! **

**GoldGuardian2418 **


	8. Gaster's Lab

**Chapter 8: Gaster's Lab **

"Okay, Charlotte said the book is hidden and in a place that isn't easily accessible," Sans said to himself as he looked through Snowdin, even looking in his old lab, but not finding the book she mentioned. He fell into thought. "What places wouldn't be easily accessible? Rooms in the castle, a laboratory, a government building."

He then perked up. "Or a royal scientist's lab," he said as he hurried down the path to Hotland where Alphys' lab was. He knew it was mostly inaccessible, but the dinosaur would usually let him in because they would look over her experiments and he'd help her out. "That has to be where the book is."

Arriving at the lab, he teleported in, sneaking around until he entered a room and came face to face with Gaster, whose eyes were lit up with his purple magic, his hands without holes in them, making Sans realize that this was Gaster before he had fallen into the CORE. He took a deep breath and looked at his brother. "Hey, bro," he said. "I need to get something here."

Gaster stood taller. "Sans, I know you're from the future," he said, his voice stern. "I began to suspect it when I noticed how you were outside the ruins as if you knew Chara would come falling down into the Underground. And then I saw that girl appear and she mentioned the book to you and how you said it would ruin everything if you didn't get the book."

His magic grew stronger. "You would only be after the book if you came from the future," he said. "I can't let you alter time. If you alter the past, you change the future."

"I know that, but I've taken precautions so that the future that everyone deserves happens," Sans said. "Gaster, you might not believe me, but I need that book. Chara and Asriel will die if I don't get that book to Charlotte. She's a storyteller and has agreed to help me, but only if I get the book to her."

Gaster shook his head. "I won't allow it," he said, summoning up ghostly hands, Gaster Blasters, and his Followers.

The short skeleton looked grim and called up his blue magic. "Bro, I don't want to fight you," he said.

"Nor do I want to fight you, Sans," the scientist said. "But I can't let you get that book."

Sans knew now that fighting and defeating his brother was the only way, though he swore to himself that he wouldn't strike a killing blow. He'd only stun his opponents or knock them unconscious, but nothing more. He called up his own Gaster Blasters, which were ready to battle, though they didn't look too happy about having to face a family member. One nuzzled Sans' shoulder and he gently petted its nose understandingly before he raised a glowing blue hand and brought it down sharply.

The Gaster Blasters fired and Gaster ducked, his own Blaster responding to create a blast that exploded, shaking the room. One Follower ran up to Sans, but he used his telekinesis to push it back, though it came at him again. One of Sans' Blasters caught the Follower and clamped down on it with his teeth. "Easy," Sans said in a firm, gentle voice. "Either stun or knock unconscious. Nothing more."

The Blaster obeyed and dragged the Follower back, tossing him to the floor, not enough to cause serious injury, but enough to leave a few bruises. Another Follower got the same treatment before the Followers all charged.

Thinking fast, Sans used his telekinesis and caught them all, moving his hand in a circular motion, making the Followers spin around. They groaned as they spun around before he gently placed them down, knowing gravity would do the rest.

Sure enough, the Followers, dizzy from the spinning, all fell down and passed out. While he was relieved that they were taken care of for the moment, he knew Gaster wouldn't be taken down so easy. He glanced up to see the scientist's hands glowing and the Gaster Blasters around him were glowing too, meaning they were drawing magic from him. While that would make their blasts more powerful, it was also a dangerous tactic because it would affect a monster's HP too.

The short skeleton had never dared to do such a thing because his HP wasn't high for one and two, if he got hurt, the Blasters would feel it too and their attacks would weaken as a result of the drop in HP. Sighing, he got ready to dodge, something he was not only good at, but had had a lot of practice too.

"Gaster, I don't want to fight you, bro," he tried to reason with him. "I need the book. Please."

"I cannot," the taller skeleton said as his Blasters fired. Sans' Blasters disintegrated when struck with the stronger magic, but the short skeleton called up more of them and even called up a wall of bones for protection.

_If I wait for just the right moment, maybe I can catch him off guard and stop the fight, _he thought to himself. He really wanted to spare Gaster and while he hadn't hit the 'SPARE' button with the Followers, he had spared them from injury and he was glad to see that they were still down for the count. He hoped they would stay that way until the end of the fight, because while he wasn't using as much magic as Gaster, he was still using enough to where he was starting to get tired.

He could see the royal scientist was getting somewhat fatigued too and saw his Blasters glow purple again. Sans' left eye glowed blue as he did a check on Gaster and his eyes widened when he saw that the scientist's HP was dropping rapidly. It was usually at 500, but had dropped to 250. Sans checked his own HP and found that it had gone up to 300 in preparation for the fight and had only gone down 10 points. While that gave him an edge, he knew that he had to be careful. Quickly eating some monster candy, his HP maxed out and he dodged another attack from the glowing Gaster Blasters.

Frustrated, Gaster raised both glowing hands and made his blaster glow an even brighter purple, which meant they now had enough magic to blow a hole through steel. Sans, seeing this, grew a bit scared as this meant the Blasters now were glowing with concentrated magic, a magic so dense that if it got out of control, it would blow up everything within a five-mile radius. He realized he had no choice and called up two of his Blasters, letting his magic flow into them. "Stand as a shield," he said. "We can't let that blast of magic escape the lab."

The two Blasters whimpered, but nuzzled his hands, gathering the blue magic until Sans' HP dropped to 150 and he let them up. "Okay," he said. "Whatever you do, hold strong and don't give up until the magic from the other two is safely dissipated."

Nodding, the two Blasters stood ready, and just in time as two beams of bright purple magic flew from Gaster's own Gaster Blasters. Sans' Blasters held strong, taking the hit and holding firm as the purple and blue magics swirled around each other in a mesmerizing, but dangerous dance. If one got to be too much, it could result in an explosion and destroy the lab and everything in it.

Sans quickly ate a glamburger and some butterscotch cinnamon pie, maxing out his HP again and he noticed that Gaster's HP was now at 100. "He's really using up a lot of magic," the short skeleton said to himself while watching the four blasters, worried that the magic would give out.

After what seemed like an hour, both magics faded and the four blasters dissipated, unable to hold their forms any longer. All grew quiet in the lab as Sans stood up, looking over at Gaster, who was laying on the floor and weakly trying to get up, but couldn't seem to. Sans did another check on him and found his brother's HP was now at 50 and seemed to be fluctuating between 50 and 49. Quickly, he went up to Gaster and helped him sit up. "Bro, you got to eat something," he said, pulling out some more of Toriel's butterscotch cinnamon pie and giving it to the taller skeleton.

Not being in any shape to argue, the scientist ate the food gratefully, his HP climbing steadily until it was at 450, to which Gaster stood up and took some deep breaths before looking at Sans. "You had the opportunity to finish me off," he said. "Why didn't you?"

The short skeleton took a deep breath. "Because someone I'm close to showed me that if you show mercy, chances are your enemy will stop being your enemy and become your friend," he said, recalling that from when Frisk had faced Undyne, running from her and running into Hotland, which had proven hard on the fish monster and she had passed out, but when Frisk got her some water and revived her, the fish warrior saw the girl in another light, seeing that she wasn't just another human, she was someone who genuinely cared and was not only brave enough to face the fish warrior, but to also be the bigger person and not strike a downed opponent, which would have been a coward's move. The two had become best friends not long after and Undyne had taught Frisk some self defense that would help if she faced other monsters who wanted to fight.

Gaster looked at him, seeing that his younger brother was serious. "I've never seen you more serious, Sans," he said softly.

Sans nodded and took a deep breath. "Gaster, there isn't much time," he said urgently. "If you really care about Chara and Asriel, and I know you do, you'll let me get the book to Charlotte. Please."

It was true that Gaster was fond of the prince and princess, mostly because they often came to his lab and would ask him to teach them about science, to which he would come up with fun lessons for them, teaching them facts about the sciences he knew, which they soaked up eagerly. He essentially was their science teacher and he cared about them to the point that he saw them as his niece and nephew.

He now sighed and nodded. "Sans...I hope you know what you're doing," he said.

"Honestly, me too," the short skeleton said, looking worried. "I don't want the kids to die."

Nodding again, Gaster went over to a safe and entered a code, pulling out a book that was rather large like a dictionary and a pen that was beside it. The book was colored red, the joke-loving skeleton noticed, and he noticed the pen was blue. "Here they are," the scientist said, giving both items to him. "Be careful. They are not only valuable, but whatever is written in them happens in real life. This is why it was locked away because it can be dangerous in the wrong hands."

He looked at his brother. "Do you trust the girl? This Charlotte you speak of?"

"I trust her without question," Sans said firmly.

Gaster nodded. "Very well," he said, giving Sans a hug. "Good luck, brother."

"Thanks, bro," the shorter skeleton said softly, returning the hug before running back to the castle to get the book to Charlotte, hoping that he wasn't too late.

* * *

**Will Sans get the book to Charlotte in time? Will the book work for them? Stay tuned to find out! :) **

**Please leave a review, but no flames! **

**GoldGuardian2418 **


	9. The Correct Author

**Chapter 9: The Correct Author **

Charlotte watched invisibly as Chara and Asriel shivered as if cold and sniffled with stuffy noses. Worried, Toriel decided to go to Snowdin to see if the shopkeeper had any medicine for sickness while Asgore decided to speak to the royal gardener to see if they had any herbs that might help the children.

The brown-haired author became visible and went up to the children. Chara noticed her first and gasped in shock, but the young woman held her hands up in a placating gesture. "Shh," she soothed, drawing closer and gently resting a hand on the young girl's head. "I'm a friend of your dunkle, little one."

The red-eyed girl was still uncertain, but calmed down, especially when Charlotte placed another blanket over her, which helped to calm her shivering. She did the same to Asriel, who gave her a grateful look. "So...Chara's not the only human to accept monsters?" He asked.

The storyteller smiled. "That's right, little one," she said, giving his ears a gentle stroke, to which he leaned his head into her hand trustingly.

Running feet caught their attention and Charlotte looked up to see Sans appear in the doorway and in his arms was a large book and a pen was clutched in one hand. He looked up at her, sweat beading on his skull as he looked relieved that he had made it in time. "How are they?" He asked.

"Still holding on," the brown-haired woman said. "Where did you find the book?"

"Gaster's lab," he said. "He at first didn't want to give it to me, but...I convinced him that I needed it for the kids."

That alone told Charlotte that Sans had had to battle his brother. "Are you alright?" She asked in worry.

He nodded. "I'm good," he said before handing her the book and pen.

A look of wonder came over the storyteller's face as she accepted the red book and the blue pen. "I've never seen one of these before," she said in awe before carefully opening the book. Blank pages greeted her and she took a deep breath. "Okay, here goes."

She began writing, but to her surprise, the words weren't showing up on the page. She tried again, but got the same result. "What's wrong?" Sans asked, noticing her perplexed, worried look.

"The words aren't appearing," she said before an idea hit her. "Maybe it's invisible ink that will only appear under a flame."

Using a nearby torch, they tried her idea, but sadly, it didn't reveal the words and Charlotte tried again with Sans watching, but to their dismay, the words still didn't appear. "I don't understand," Sans said. "It should work for you. You're a storyteller."

The author fell into thought before perking up. "Wait, maybe it'll work for Ink," she said, closing her eyes and pressing a hand gently to her upper chest. Moments later, the artistic skeleton appeared beside her and from the looks on Sans' face and on his intended's face, he quickly figured out what was wrong.

"The words aren't showing up, are they?" He asked.

They shook their heads. "Ink, maybe you can get them to appear?" Charlotte asked hopefully.

His unique eyes shifted from the yellow star and blue disc to a purple circle and a green square, a look the human author knew too well. Sans looked curious and she explained. "Those mean that he is going to try and make it work for the kids," she said. "He's fond of children and so he sees these two as more than just the prince and princess."

"What do you mean?" Sans asked.

"He sees them as his niece and nephew."

Ink held the blue pen and tried to write on the pages, but to his shock, it didn't work for him either. He looked saddened. "I don't get it," he said. "It should have worked."

Just then, Tala and Opa appeared beside them. "Did he find it?" Opa asked.

"Yes, but Ink and I can't get the words to appear," Charlotte said.

Tala grew thoughtful. "Perhaps the book will only work when the right person holds both it and the pen," she said.

"You mean like it's meant for that person only?" Ink asked.

"Right," the guardian of OceanPatch said with a nod.

"I think she's right," Charlotte said in agreement.

"But who would be the right person?" Sans asked.

"Maybe the person who is closest to Chara and Asriel," the storyteller suggested.

It made sense, so Sans hurried through the Underground to find Asgore and Toriel, telling them that the book would help. "If you write in it that Chara and Asriel will get better, it should work," he said to them. "It's a magical book and pen."

Asgore looked astounded. "Where did you find this?" He asked.

"My bro gave it to me," the short skeleton said truthfully. "He's hoping it will help the kids too."

Toriel looked pensive, but nodded. "It's worth a try," she said. "Let me see the book."

But she had no luck writing in it and neither did Asgore. Sans tried to think of who else was close to the kids and ran throughout the Underground, seeing the Royal Guard, Undyne, Alphys, and the others that he knew were fond of the children. Surely one of them had to be the right author that could write the words to help the children get better.

But no matter who he went to, it didn't work and he grew desperate as he now didn't know what to do. "I can't let them die," he said. "I promised them. Plus...it'll defeat the purpose that I'm here for."

Footsteps approached him from behind, but he didn't turn around, noting that the person had been loud enough to indicate that they weren't sneaking up on him. "Perhaps you are the true author, Sans," a female voice said gently.

That made the pun-loving skeleton stop short. Could that be true? Was he the true author that could write the words? He turned around to see a cloaked being behind him, but white-gloved hands moved to push back the hood of the cloak, revealing a teenager with dark hair and kind eyes. Sans was taken aback by her appearance and noted how she looked very much like the River Person.

"Are you...the River Person?" He asked, though he recalled the River Person having a deeper voice and either humming or singing.

The girl smiled. "No," she said gently before looking at the book in his hands and placing a gentle hand on it. "You are close to the children, Sans. If the book hasn't worked for the others, it just might work for you."

He looked a bit pensive, to which she didn't blame him. "Do you really think so?" He asked.

She smiled gently. "Try, Sans," she said, her voice encouraging. "For Chara and Asriel."

He nodded before looking at her. "Who are you?" He asked.

She again smiled. "My name is Kayla," she said as her hands glowed with magic that he recognized to be protective magic. "In another timeline, I was pushed into the mountain and hit the ground, surprisingly still alive, and I ran, falling into the river, to which River Person saved me and became my father."

He looked at her. "Is your timeline...peaceful?"

She nodded with a smile. "The Frisk of my timeline and I broke the barrier and we live happily on the surface with our families," she said before looking shy and then worried. "I hope Blooky isn't too worried about me."

She then shook her head and took a deep breath. "There isn't much time, Sans," she said gently. "Do it for the kids. I have a feeling you are the right author."

Kayla repeated those words again as she began to fade, indicating that she was teleporting away. He watched her as she looked at him with encouragement, giving him a final nod before she vanished completely.

Desperate to save his niece and nephew, Sans opened the book and put the pen to paper, starting to write. To his relief, ink flowed from the pen and onto the page as he began writing.

"_Chara and Asriel recover from their mysterious sickness and never become a spirit bent on revenge or a souless flower hungry for power." _

No sooner had he finished writing that, the ground began to violently shake, knocking the pun-loving skeleton off his feet.

* * *

**Looks like Sans is the correct author, but is it in time to save Chara and Asriel? Stay tuned to find out! :) **

**Also, Kayla is my OC from the story "Mystery Of The River". **

**Next up: Sans will meet another version of himself as he learns why the ground began shaking so much. **

**Tala, Opa, and Charlotte belong to me. Ink belongs to Myebi on Deviantart. (Myebi is also known as comyet on Tumblr). **

**Please leave a review, but no flames! **

**GoldGuardian2418 **


	10. The Race Against Time

**Chapter 10: The Race Against Time **

Everything had gone black and Sans stood there, holding the book and pen, but all he could see was black. "No," he said softly, falling to his knees. "I failed. I failed them."

Repeating those words, he broke down and sobbed in agony. He had promised, but hadn't been able to keep his promise. Thinking about about how Chara and Asriel lay there so sick and were no doubt gone now, he cried harder.

"_A heart that's caught in despair, _

_Emotions raw and hurting so, _

_Give me that heart to fix, _

_Never again to feel low." _

The softly sung words broke through Sans' sobs and he tried to quiet himself down so that he could try and figure out where the voice was coming from. He glanced around before standing up and seeing a figure coming towards him, but it was blurry due to the tears filling his eyes.

"_I can give you hope and joy, _

_To hold dear in your heart,_

_Add love to it and it's all right,_

_Never-ending from the start." _

Sans wiped the tears away from his eyes and blinked, the stranger coming into focus and he looked at him in surprise.

The person looked similar to him, but was wearing a light orange hoodie, a light blue t-shirt, gray pants, and gray sneakers. And he was singing, his voice not only soothing, but pleasant to hear. The joke-loving skeleton looked at his doppleganger. "Who are you?" He asked, clutching the book and pen to himself.

The other skeleton smiled. "My creator calls me Caramel," he said in reply before noticing Sans looked distraught. "What's wrong?" He asked softly.

The blue-hoodie wearing skeleton sighed softly. "I was trying to help Chara and Asriel get well, but...I failed them," he said, more tears coming to his eyes.

Caramel placed a gentle hand on Sans' shoulder. "Come with me," he said. "We'll be safe in my AU."

Sans didn't protest, letting his doppleganger take him to Lullabytale, a place that was beautiful and peaceful. A moment later, a portal opened and a cloaked figure appeared, sighing in relief as they pushed back the hood of their cloak, revealing it to be Kayla. "Kayla?" Sans asked in surprise.

She turned and looked relieved. "Oh, good," she said. "Gaster was able to get me to the right place."

"Gaster?" Caramel asked.

"From my timeline," Kayla explained. "He sensed something was up and checked to see what was going on."

"What is going on?" Sans asked in worry.

The daughter of the River Person took a deep breath. "The time forces are battling," she said, not sugarcoating it. "From what Gaster told me, time is very delicate right now."

"But why?" Caramel asked.

Kayla looked at Sans. "Did the book work for you?" She asked him.

He nodded. "Yes," he said, showing her what he had written.

Reading it, she nodded. "I think I know what's going on," she said. "While you wrote that they get better, what if they get sick again?"

Sans looked scared. "You mean...what I wrote wouldn't be permanent?" He asked.

"I'm afraid so, unless more is written," she said. "Right now, the forces are battling because one time is for Chara and Asriel to recover and never become evil while the other time is trying to stay true to the original story."

Caramel nodded. "Makes sense," he said. "Trying to rewrite history will cause time to battle itself until either one story overwrites the other."

A portal opened and from it emerged Ink, Charlotte, Tala, and Opa, all four looking grim. "We have to keep watch to make sure Sans' plan works," he said.

"For the children to live," Tala said with a nod.

Sans perked up at that. "They're alive?" He asked hopefully.

They all looked at each other before Charlotte came forward. "Yes, but they're in a coma," she said. "They fell into a coma not long after you wrote the words about them recovering."

He sank to his knees again. "Then...I failed them," he said, looking distraught.

"No, you haven't failed yet, Sans," Tala said, going up to him and helping him to his feet. "You have the book and the pen. They work for you."

"And it's not over yet," Opa said with a nod.

Ink sensed something. "Form a circle around Sans! Quickly!" He said.

They all wasted no time doing so and Kayla used her protective magic to put up a shield around them all. Ink waved his brush around to held her reinforce it while Opa and Tala joined hands and used their powers together to create walls of bones that were glowing various shades of blue, pink, and purple. Charlotte kneeled by Sans, hugging him. He returned the hug, looking at what he had written in the book. "I thought for sure it would work," he said softly.

"It will, Sans," she said. "But remember, a story needs more than one line. One line may simply say what happens or give someone a summary, but it must have more to be a story."

He sighed softly, nodding in agreement. "Are Chara and Asriel at least doing okay, despite being in a coma?" He asked.

Charlotte closed her eyes, sensing the story coming to her and she focused on the kids. She nodded once she had them and she watched them as they breathed as if in a deep sleep. Opening her eyes, she nodded. "They're okay," she said. "They're in a deep sleep."

He sighed before sitting up straighter. "I can't break my promise to them," he said. "While they promised me that they'd never turn into a souless flower or a spirit bent on revenge, it all depends on me now."

The brown-haired author nodded. "I know you'll never let them down, Sans," she said. "They're counting on you now. Don't give up. You've come too far to stop now."

That phrase seemed to be the one he needed to hear and he stood up with her helping him up and he took a deep breath. "What's it look like out there?" He asked.

"It's very unsteady right now," Ink said. "We have to wait until it calms down."

Kayla looked worried. "We can't do anything to stabilize it?" She asked.

The painter skeleton shook his head. "No, not at this time," he said. "If we try to do anything, including Sans writing in the book right now...it could create a catastrophic event, one that not even I could undo."

Tala nodded. "Then we wait," she said. "It's not over yet. Not for the story and not for the kids."

"Let's just hope the calm will come soon," Opa said in worry.

"It will," Charlotte said with a nod. "It's a waiting game for now. A wait before the race against time."

Everyone was quiet as the magics thankfully held firm as they waited for the right time.

* * *

**Will the story go as Sans hopes? Will he be able to save Chara and Asriel? Stay tuned to find out! :) **

**Ink belongs to Myebi (also known as comyet). Tala, Opa, Charlotte, Kayla, and Caramel (Lullaby!Sans) belong to me. Also, the song that Caramel sings in one I made up. :)**

**Next chapter: Sans becomes the author once again. **

**Please leave a review, but no flames! **

**GoldGuardian2418**


	11. Fight For Who You Love

**Chapter 11: Fight For Who You Love **

For what seemed like hours, the timestream wavered unsteadily, but thankfully didn't break, though it did seem like it would at times. "Hang tight, guys," Kayla said encouragingly as she thought about Napstablook, her boyfriend.

Opa gently squeezed Tala's hand and she smiled at him as both thought about their own family, which consisted of Opa's brothers and the fire elemental that was practically a brother to him. "Hold strong," he said to his mate.

"Never give up," she said to him.

Ink and Charlotte joined hands too as the painter skeleton gave his intended a kiss on the cheek. "Keep holding firm, my lovely author," he said.

"I will, my handsome artist," she said, kissing him briefly on the mouth.

Sans stood with them, his blue magic helping them out as they all waited until finally, Ink nodded. "Okay, it's settling," he said.

"But for how long?" Kayla asked, knowing from Gaster's teachings that timelines were very delicate and even if they settled down briefly during an interruption, they could either be severely weakened or break entirely, resulting in the possible destruction of entire timelines or AUs.

Tala looked around before nodding. "We may have half an hour; forty-five minutes at most," she said.

"Not much time," Opa admitted.

"But maybe just enough," Charlotte said with a nod.

Ink nodded before turning to Sans. "Okay, you can use the book and pen now," he said.

Caramel, who had been quiet, now nodded. "I'll keep an eye on the timelines," he said.

"Caramel, be careful," Charlotte cautioned.

"I will," he said. "I'll be just outside the dome and will activate my magic when necessary."

They all nodded before Sans sat down at a desk that Ink had been kind enough to create for him. He opened the book to what he had written and gripped the pen. "I want everyone to have a happy ending," he said, glancing around at them. "That includes you guys too."

Tala smiled gently. "Oh, Sans," she said. "We'll be okay."

"The kids are the ones who really need the happy ending, as do the monsters of the Underground," Opa said.

"I agree," Kayla said.

Charlotte went up to Sans, who took a deep breath and looked up at her, gripping the pen in his right hand. The author gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "Sans, if you really mean what you write in the book, then it will happen," she said. "Chara and Asriel will live, as will the other children and monsters."

He looked at her hopefully and she nodded with a gentle smile. "It's all up to you," she continued. "Focus on the memories you have to help you. Let those and your heart guide you to write the story the way you feel it should go, the way that gives everyone the happy ending you want them to have."

He nodded. "Okay," he said, taking another deep breath before he put the pen to the page and began writing.

"_Chara and Asriel recover from their sickness that tries to claim them, but I won't let it. They will live and recover, being the happy children they should be._

"_The other children who fell after Chara were taken in by the monsters and were adopted by Asgore and Toriel, who were more than happy to have so many children to call their own. The kids, most of them escaping from abusive homes, found that the monsters were willing to take them in and help them see that they didn't have to be afraid. Each monster would look out for them and keep them safe. _

"_Frisk falls into the Underground two hundred years after the monsters have been banished to the Underground and when he sees that the monsters are trapped here, though have made it their home, he vows that he will find a way to break the barrier and free them all, for he feels no monster who is peaceful should be imprisoned in a place that is a prison despite the beauty it has." _

Sans paused here as he recalled the other children, writing that while they were frightened at first, they learned that while someone looked like a monster, it didn't mean that that person would hurt them, something that they all proved as they accepted the kids as one of their own. He paused again and fell into deep thought before coming up with an idea.

"_Not only are Chara and Asriel spared from death, as are the others, but due to the magic of the Underground, the kids hardly age at all, being the same ages as they were when they first entered the Underground. Frisk, being the smart kid he is, finds a way to break the barrier that doesn't include harming anyone. Once the barrier is broken, the monsters all come out of the Underground to see the sunset, which is such a beautiful sight, even more beautiful than the snow in Snowdin, the waterfall in Waterfall, and even the castle at the end of the Underground." _

Sans could remember it all as if it all happened the day before. Frisk breaking the barrier and fainting as it took a lot of energy, but with his determination, he did it and they all walked out of the Underground to see the sunset. The boy even directed them to a large house where a lady, his aunt Ida, lived. Nodding, he began writing again.

"_Frisk introduces us to a human named Ida, who is his aunt and is happy to see he is okay. She doesn't even flinch at seeing that we're monsters, but rather takes us in, claiming we're all family. She is the first adult human to not turn us away, but the people of the town don't think the way she does and rally up against her and us to drive us away, but Ida, along with her cousin Michael, fight back to save all of us and keep the kids from being taken away from us. Ida even uses her inherited magic to teleport us all to safety and Michael leaves a job that he loves to help keep us safe, not giving up where we are even when he is a hostage and his captors try to get him to betray us, but just like his cousin Ida, he doesn't betray us." _

He paused a moment and looked at Ink, who tilted his head questioningly. "Just curious, anything that I write down in this book will happen in real life?" He asked.

The painter skeleton nodded. "Yes," he said.

"Even if it was about a different timeline or AU?"

"Even then."

Though they were curious as to what Sans had in mind, they didn't question him and Caramel came back. "Everything seems to be holding really good," he said. "How are the kids?"

Charlotte closed her eyes and checked on them. "Still in a coma," she said. "But they're stable."

That was a relief and Sans put the pen to paper again, writing with all his might until he filled over half the book, which was surprising, but he nodded all the same, satisfied with his work. He looked up to see they were all busy and turned the pages to where he had begun writing. "Charlotte, would you be willing to read this with me?" He asked.

"Of course," the author said with a smile as she came over.

After about fifteen minutes of looking over the words that Sans had been writing for the past twenty minutes, she nodded and smiled. "Looks good," she said. "You're a fast writer."

"Thanks," he said with a smile before looking exhausted.

Tala looked up at them all. "We've got just enough time to teleport someone safe and watch and see if the timeline goes the way Sans wrote it," she said.

They all nodded. "Ink?" Charlotte inquired.

Smiling, the painter skeleton motioned everyone to gather close and he drew a large circle around them all with his paintbrush. When the circle was completed, they were all teleported to a place Sans knew well.

It was Ink and Charlotte's home. "We made it," Kayla said in relief.

Caramel nodded. "That was close," he admitted.

Tala noticed how tired Sans looked. "Sans, why don't you go rest?" She suggested kindly. "You're exhausted from everything that's happened lately."

"Not a bad idea," he said before he passed out, forcing Ink and Charlotte to catch him and they placed him on the couch and covered him with a blanket before they all sat down, feeling exhausted themselves.

"I really hope what Sans wrote works," Kayla said, hugging herself.

"It should," Charlotte said with a nod. "The true author wrote the words in the book, so we should be seeing the results soon."

Opa nodded. "Hopefully we won't have to wait so long this time," he said.

Ink nodded. "I call first shift," he said. "You guys get some rest."

They all did, either dozing or sleeping and taking turns watching the timelines, which was altering itself according to what Sans had written, but it was too soon to tell if it was the right story or how long it would take to get the storyline to be what was written.

As Opa said, hopefully they wouldn't have to wait long.

* * *

**Will it work? Stay tuned to find out! :) **

**Please leave a review, but no flames! :) **

**GoldGuardian2418**


	12. Success!

**A/N: I didn't realize it until not too long ago, but I made an error in the story "Happiness Long Overdue". I mentioned that Michael was sweet to Muffet, but then later on paired Michael with Alphys and Muffet to a scientist who studied spiders. For those of you confused, here's what had happened: **

**While Michael was sweet to Muffet, they later realized they thought of each other more as friends than lovers, so they agreed to just be friends and Muffet gave Michael advice on how to woo Alphys, who he found he had feelings for. **

**Sorry for all the confusion. I swear I need to look at my notes better. XD**

**Okay, on with the chapter! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Success!**

Through the rest of the day and the evening, they all took shifts to watch over the timeline and to watch over Sans, who looked so exhausted and who could blame him? He had just basically rewritten history and thensome no doubt, if his earlier question to Ink had been anything to go by.

Charlotte woke up around four o'clock, unable to sleep and she saw Ink was sleeping beside her, making her smile as she kissed his cheek before getting up to let him sleep. Checking the rest of the house, she found Opa and Tala asleep in one room with Tornado sleeping at the end of the bed. The Gaster Blaster opened its eyes to look at the author, who smiled at it. "Shh," she whispered and quietly left to go check on the other house guests.

Kayla was sound asleep in another room, her cloak acting like a blanket as she slept, making Charlotte smile as she went to the living room where Sans was sleeping. Caramel was in a chair beside him, keeping watch over his counterpart and the timeline, though he looked exhausted. "Caramel?" The brown-haired author said softly, going up to him. "Are you okay?"

He looked at her and nodded. "Just...worried about my family and friends," he admitted.

She smiled and closed her eyes, checking on the AU called Lullabytale and she soon opened her eyes. "They're well," she said reassuringly.

He looked at her. "You sure?" He asked worriedly.

Charlotte nodded. "Being an author who helps watch the timelines with Ink, I can see if a timeline is in trouble too by focusing on certain people," she said. "I focused on your brother and niece and that helped me see that all is well in your timeline."

He nodded and hugged her before yawning. "How about you get some rest?" The author said kindly. "You used quite a bit of magic back there, helping us all to be safe and helping get Sans out of that void, along with helping us get to your AU before we came here."

Caramel sighed. "Happy to do it," he admitted before looking afraid. "But...what if when I wake up...,"

"Shh, don't think that way," Charlotte soothed, rubbing his back. "It'll work. Has it shown any changes that we should worry about?"

"Not yet," he said. "It seems to be holding up."

"Okay," she said before she began humming gently. Caramel, recognizing the tune, began softly singing.

"_Stars shine like gold, _

_The moon a giant pearl,_

_The sun a yellow topaz,_

_And the clouds like silk. _

_Treasures that shine, _

_Every day and night,_

_Shared by everyone,_

_Around the world." _

Charlotte smiled and saw Caramel was on the verge of falling asleep and so, she picked up where he left off.

"_But my greatest treasures, _

_Are the ones I have in my life,_

_My family and my friends, _

_Who I don't know what I'd do without. _

_Irreplaceable treasures, _

_Unmeasured love, _

_Create the family I see before me,_

_One I'm proud to call my own." _

She felt the skeleton slump in her arms as he fell asleep and she smiled. "Oh, Caramel," she said gently, picking him up and carrying him to another room, placing him on a bed and covering him with a blanket. "Rest well, my friend."

She went out to check on Sans and saw him sound asleep, but then he jerked awake and looked around, looking scared. "Chara. Asriel," he said in fear.

Charlotte placed a hand on his shoulder. "Shh, it's okay, Sans. They're safe," she said, closing her eyes and checking on the two, finding them sleeping peacefully and apparently out of a coma. She smiled and opened her eyes. "Sans, they're not in a coma anymore. They're sleeping peacefully."

He looked at her in worry. "Are you sure?" He asked.

She nodded. "I'm sure," she said, gently pushing him to lie back down. "Rest. You've been through a lot in the past twenty-four hours."

Sans finally relaxed and nodded. "Yeah," he said, yawning before falling back asleep.

* * *

A few hours later, Charlotte opened her eyes and lifted up her head, wondering what she was doing when she realized she had sat down on the couch after Sans had fallen back asleep and apparently had fallen asleep herself. She let out a rueful chuckle. "Guess I couldn't stay awake," she said to herself before getting up and stretching. She then headed to the kitchen to make coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.

It wasn't long before everyone else woke up and were soon drinking the hot drinks. Ink snuck up behind Charlotte as she was about to get her cup of hot chocolate, making her yip in surprise when he caught her around the waist and gently pulled her back, dipping her into a dancing dip and kissing her soundly, making the others chuckle while Charlotte's face turned red, but she kissed him back, smiling at him. "Mischievous artist," she said teasingly.

"Beautiful author," he replied back, giving her loving eyes that made her smile and chuckle at him.

"We better check the timeline to make sure it went the way it was supposed to," she said.

Smiling, he nodded. "I'll be right back," he said, vanishing into a portal.

Tala smiled. "When are you and Ink planning on making it official?" She asked.

Charlotte blushed. "Soon," she said. "We...We're kind of taking it slow."

Opa chuckled. "Yet Ink can't stop staring at you," he said.

The author turned redder before smirking. "Like you can't stop staring at Tala, your wife?" She said teasingly.

A blush many shades of blue came to Opa's face. "You got me," he said with another chuckle before looking at his wife lovingly and she giggled, leaning her head on his shoulder.

Ink appeared before them and he smiled. "It worked," he said. "Everything went the way Sans wrote it."

A cheer went up from everyone and Sans had tears in his eyes. "Thank you, guys," he said. "I couldn't have done it without you all."

"We're glad to have helped," Kayla said with a smile.

"Ditto," Caramel said, also smiling.

"Same here," Tala said as Opa nodded.

"That goes for me and Ink too," Charlotte said with a nod and a smile.

Ink nodded. "A job well done," he said.

Opa, Tala, Kayla, and Caramel finished their drinks and rose to their feet, ready to go back to their timelines. With a slash of his brush, Ink opened three portals, one to Lullabytale, one to OceanPatch, and one to Kayla's timeline. All four people waved before jumping into their respective portals. Ink smiled and looked at Sans. "You can see if you want," he said.

Sans gazed at Lullabytale, seeing Caramel's brothers, niece, and family come to greet him. He smiled at seeing the happy family, gazing over at OceanPatch to see Tala and Opa being welcomed home by their family and best friend. He then gazed at Kayla's timeline, smiling again as he saw her glomp River Person, who hugged her soundly. He nodded. "They're all safe," he said.

As Ink closed the portals, Charlotte's phone rang and she answered it. "Hello?" She said.

"Charlotte! Oh, I'm so glad I got ahold of you!" Came her father's voice happily.

She just barely held back a sigh, bracing herself for his criticism of her being an author. "Hi, Dad," she said. "Another law school application?"

"What? No! No, not at all," he said.

It took her a moment to realize he said that. "What?" She asked in surprise.

Her father sounded...happy about that?

"I just read all the stories that you entered into contests and I loved every one of them!" He said excitedly. "You've earned all those ribbons."

Charlotte was confused. "Dad, are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm better than okay!" He said happily. "A good friend of mine is looking for stories like yours to publish and share with the world! I brought him some of your stories and he was thrilled to read them! Oh, I hope you don't mind I did that, because he offered to be your publisher when you have a book that you want to publish!"

The happiness in her father's voice made her smile. "Seriously?" She asked in excitement.

"Yes!" He said, his excitement palable. "Just let me know whenever you want to meet him with your book and we'll go see him." He paused. "I'm sorry I didn't see it before, sweetie, but you are a wonderful writer and storyteller...just like your mother was before the cancer took over and she passed."

To be giving a compliment like that brought tears to Charlotte's eyes. "Thanks, Dad," she said before looking at Ink. "I hope you don't mind if I bring my intended with me too."

"Your intended?" He asked in surprise before happiness took over again. "You found someone you treats you right, sweetie?"

"Yes," she said, smiling at Ink. "He treats me like a queen."

"I can't wait to meet him," he said. "I love you, sweetie."

"Love you too, Dad."

She hung up the phone and looked at Ink and Sans, noticing Sans was wearing a huge grin. "Sans?" She asked.

He nodded. "I thought he should be supportive of your stories," he said. "So when I asked Ink about different timelines and he said yes, I wrote down that your father would support you in your career choice and help you 'get off the ground', so to speak."

He grunted as she glomped him. "Thank you," she said, tears in her eyes. "I wish you and your family the best, Sans."

He smiled and turned to Ink, who created a portal in front of him. "Look," he said.

The portal showed that Chara and Asriel recovered and lived, along with the other fallen kids, hardly aging at all and living happily with Toriel and Asgore. And then Frisk fell and was able to break the barrier by being Pacifist. The last image showed all of them smiling and looking happy. "They're waiting for you, Sans," Ink said with a smile.

He nodded before looking concerned. "What about the book?" He asked.

"We'll keep it here for safekeeping," Charlotte said with a smile.

Ink noticed it was nighttime in Sans' world. "Go on," he said. "Everything will be okay when you wake up in the morning."

The blue-hooding-wearing skeleton nodded, feeling tired now that the whole ordeal was finally over. "Thank you," he said to them before jumping through the portal, going over to his bed and collapsing on it, falling fast asleep.

Ink closed the portal and looked at Charlotte, who opened the book and smiled as she read what Sans had written and then, reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a pen that was colored brown. "The blue pen worked for Sans as my pen works for me," she said. "And he made sure everyone got a happy ending."

Ink came over and read the pages, smiling. "Yeah, he did," he said.

Charlotte held up her pen. "And now, it's his turn to get a happy ending," she said, putting the pen to the page, the words forming as she wrote the words.

In his world, Sans stirred a little in his sleep, settling down as he dreamed about meeting a girl, one that apparently made his heart beat faster, especially when she giggled at a joke he made and took his hand, kissing him on the mouth, to which he kissed her back, holding her close as the dream continued.

* * *

**Hmm. What did Charlotte write? :) Stay tuned to find out! :) **

**Also, the lullaby Caramel and Charlotte sing is one I made up. :) **

**And please leave a review, but no flames! :) **

**GoldGuardian2418 **


	13. Homecoming

**Chapter 13: Homecoming **

Sans felt the sun on his face as he woke up, yawning as he smiled, remembering the dream he had. He sat up just in time for a soft knock to come to his door. "Come in," he said.

His door opened to reveal Chara and Asriel, who ran in and glomped him happily, snuggling into his hug. Smiling, he hugged them back. "You kept your promise, Dunkle Sans," Chara said happily.

"We got better and we all lived," Asriel said. "Frisk broke the barrier too and we're all free."

The skeleton smiled as he hugged them again before standing up and they followed him, running out the door to wake up their other family members. Gaster appeared in the doorway and smiled at Sans, nodding to him. "You used the book wisely," he said. "Everything is as it should be."

"Thanks for trusting me with it, bro," Sans said. "What is today's date?"

Gaster smiled. "It's the day after you entered the machine and set things right," he said. "Time travel is quite something."

The short skeleton checked his phone and saw his brother was right. "Wow," he said. "Feels like I've been gone longer than a day, but then again, I was in the past for a while."

The taller skeleton nodded. "Where is the book and pen?" He asked out of curiosity.

"A couple friends of mine have it for safekeeping," Sans explained. "It's in good hands."

"Good," Gaster said with a smile. "Now, I think everyone is waiting for you."

"Do they know?" He asked.

"Only Chara, Asriel, and myself," his brother told him. "And it will stay that way."

Sans nodded again, going downstairs with his brother to see everyone, who were greeting each other happily with 'good mornings'. Chara and Asriel ran up to Sans and hugged him again. "Thank you," Chara whispered to him.

"Thank you," Asriel echoed just as softly.

The joke-loving skeleton smiled and ruffled Chara's hair playfully and ruffled the fur between Asriel's ears. "You're welcome, baby bones," he said, knowing what they were thanking him for.

Toriel came into the room with Capricorn in her arms and Ida was behind her with Harmony in her arms. Behind the women were Asgore and Grillby respectively. "Oh, it's a beautiful morning," Toriel said.

"Why don't we all spend it outside?" Ida suggested.

That was met with agreement and so after breakfast, they headed outside. The children immediately set up some games to play while the adults sat nearby. Grillby sat in a chair and pulled Ida close to him so that she was sitting in his lap and she smiled as she held their daughter, who was content to sit in her parents' laps and watch her cousins playing around.

Capricorn seemed just as content to stay in his mother's arms and nap peacefully, the loud noises of his siblings playing not seeming to bother him one bit. Undyne smiled at that. "I forgot how much babies sleep," she admitted.

"They do sleep a lot," Toriel admitted, looking somewhat tired herself.

"How about I hold him while you rest, dear?" Asgore said.

"Thank you, dearest. That does sound good," she said, gently handing him the baby, who woke up briefly and looked up at his father.

"Shh," the large male goat soothed. "I've got you, son. It's okay."

Capricorn yawned before sighing and closing his eyes, falling fast asleep again. Harmony seemed to follow her cousin's lead as she fell asleep too, laying on her father's chest while Ida lay on her side on Grillby's left side. He wrapped his arm around her as they watched their daughter nap before closing their eyes too and dozing for a bit.

* * *

It was a couple hours later when it got really hot and everyone was ready to cool off, heading indoors to have lunch. Just as Ida was about to call out that lunch was served, a knock came at the door and she went to answer it, letting out a cry of surprise and happiness when she saw who was at the door. "Emma!" She said in surprise.

"Ida!" The young woman, Emma, exclaimed happily as the two hugged.

"I'm so happy to see you!" Ida said with a squeal.

"And I'm happy to see you!" Emma squealed happily before they parted. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Oh, no, not at all," her friend said. "Please, come in. You're just in time for lunch."

She guided her into the living room where everyone was gathered and they looked up as she approached. "Hey, guys! I want to introduce you to someone," she said, stepping aside to reveal a young woman with dark-blonde hair and blueberry-blue eyes. She wore a blue shirt and black leggings with black sneakers. "Everyone, this is Emma, one of my best friends. Emma, this is my family."

Emma smiled. "Hi," she said. "Ida's told me so much about you all."

She then saw Sans and she froze, a soft gasp escaping her. Sans did a double take when he saw her, blinking as he stared at her. He slowly stood up as he approached Emma, who looked at him curiously as he paused in front of her. "I dreamed about you last night," he said in awe. "No joke."

She smiled. "I dreamed about you too last night," she said before moving closer and giving him a kiss on the cheek. Just as she was about to pull away, he gently cupped her face with his hands and looked at her, making her smile as she nodded. Sans leaned closer and kissed her right on the mouth.

Everyone looked surprised. "Love at first sight?" Asgore asked.

"Or...soulmates who dreamed about each other," Grillby said in awe. "Just like how you and Toriel dreamed of each other, Asgore."

"I remember that," Toriel said before her stomach growled.

Ida smiled. "Lunch is ready," she said.

Everyone headed for the dining room, except for Sans and Emma, who were gazing at each other after sharing their first kiss. The dark-blonde girl smiled at him. "You forgot yourself in the happy ending," she said. "So Charlotte gave you one."

The skeleton blushed. "They helped me a lot," he admitted. "Them and the others. I...I wanted them to have the same happy ending that we all had."

Emma smiled again. "And you did," she said. "You set out to stop the nightmares that plagued Asriel, Chara, and Frisk and you succeeded, along with giving your allies happy endings too."

He smiled before looking at her. "Hey, did it hurt when you fell from Heaven?" He asked.

She blinked, cocking her head to the side in confusion. "Um, no. Why do you ask?" She asked.

"Cause you're an angel," he replied.

Now realizing that he had just played a small joke on her, Emma giggled, blushing a bit herself. "Does that mean I'm yours?" She asked with a smile.

Sans grinned, liking how she caught on fast, which made him fall deeper in love with her. He had been falling for her in his dreams and now...he was falling for her for real. "I-If you want to be," he said, stammering a little as he had a sudden fear that she wouldn't want to be his, even thought they dreamed about each other.

That fear was put to rest when she smiled. "Yes, I'd love to be," she said, making him smile again as they kissed each other again.

Ida smiled as she watched, feeling Grillby come up behind her. "Kind of reminds me of how you and I first fell in love," she said to the fire monster behind her.

"It does, doesn't it?" He said, hugging her from behind. "I'm glad he has someone now. He's been alone for so long."

"I think you all have been," she said, turning and kissing him, making him hold her close and return the kiss.

Sans just held Emma close as he kissed her, deciding this was the best homecoming ever and silently thanking Charlotte for her thoughtfulness.

In the Doodlesphere, Ink and Charlotte smiled, not seeing that the book had an extra page in it, one that Sans had written as a thank you to everyone who had helped him. Charlotte closed the book and put it away before hugging her intended and kissing him, to which he returned the kiss as they continued watching the happy timeline, not yet knowing that more surprises were coming soon.

* * *

**Looks like everyone's going to get a happy ending. Next chapter is the epilogue and reveals the surprises that await the ones that helped Sans. :) **

**Stay tuned for the final chapter coming soon. :) **

**Please leave a review, but no flames! **

**GoldGuardian2418 **


	14. Peace In The Worlds

**Chapter 14: Peace In The Worlds **

Sans breathed in the fresh air, a smile coming to his face. It had been about a week since he had returned from altering time and each day was filled with wonder and love. The kids, having learned from him that he had gone back to prevent Chara from becoming a evil spirit and to prevent Asriel from becoming a souless flower, now came up to him. Julie approached him first. "Dunkle Sans, what made you want to go back and stop the bad things from happening to Asriel and Chara?" She asked.

He smiled at the youngest member of the family. "Because I wanted to stop the horrible nightmares that were haunting them and Frisk," he said. "Your brothers and sister weren't sleeping very good with the nightmares, so I went back to stop the nightmares." He now smiled. "And to make sure you kids lived too. Your deaths back then hurt all of us."

Carmen, the oldest of the kids, looked pensive. "But doesn't changing the past change the future?" She asked as Frisk, Chara, and Asriel came out to join them.

"It does," the pun-loving skeleton said. "But I took precautions and had a little help from some friends to make sure time went the way I was hoping it would go and to make sure we would still get the happy ending, especially for you kids."

David smiled. "And according to Chara and Asriel, it worked," he said. "You were really brave to do that, Dunkle Sans."

"But we would have been devastated if we lost you," Sarah said, her small face looking worried.

Sans went up to her and gently tilted her chin up to look at him. "You kids won't lose me, Sarah," he said, gently pinching her cheek in affection. "I'm not leaving you kids anytime soon. That's a promise."

Nathan and Thomas had both been quiet before they looked up at Sans. "Uncle Gaster at first didn't want to Chara and Asriel to tell us, but after a bit, he felt we could know. Why was that?" The latter asked.

The skeleton shrugged. "Probably was worried about how you kids would take it that the past had been altered and I was responsible for it," he said.

"But you had good intentions, Dunkle Sans," Nathan said. "And you worked hard to make sure that time went the way you wanted it to go, so that all of us would be okay."

"Believe me, I wasn't about to exclude you kids," Sans said, opening up his arms and they all ran to him, hugging him. "You kids are the best things that ever happened to the monsters, especially your parents."

"And you guys are the best thing that ever happened to me," Chara said honestly, joining the hug.

"That goes for me too," Asriel said with a smile as he too joined the hug.

"Ditto," Frisk said with a smile too, completing the hug as all nine children hugged the skeleton that was not only their dunkle, but also their hero.

They smiled and held onto him as he returned the hugs. Emma, who had been watching, came out with a smile. "There's our hero," she said with a smile.

Sans lit up at seeing her and smiled. "Is it almost time?" He asked.

"Just about," she said, still smiling. "Alphys is doing alright and is apparently near the end of her labor."

"Which means we'll have a new cousin soon!" Julie said happily and the others cheered.

"That's right," Sans said, smiling too.

It wasn't too long later that they were called back into the house and into Gaster's lab, which was large enough to be a medical bay too. Laying in a bed and looking tired, but joyful too, was Alphys holding a small bundle in her arms and beside her was Michael, Ida's cousin and the dinosaur scientist's husband. Alphys looked up at her visitors and smiled. "It's a boy," she said, gently pulling back the blanket so they could see her new son's face.

The baby looked human, but had yellow spiky hair. "Oh, he's adorable!" Toriel said with a smile.

Ida, who was nearby with Grillby, smiled. "Another one to join the family," she said as she looked up at her husband as he held their daughter, Harmony.

Asgore, who was holding Capricorn, had tears in his eyes. "The birth of a child," he said. "One of the most amazing things in life."

"I agree," Undyne said with a smile.

Muffet came in with Jake, the scientist she had fallen for. Both smiled and congratulated the new parents while Gaster smiled at them. "The Mayor says the town hall is ready for two weddings," he said.

Emma smiled and turned to Alphys. "We'll have the computer set up so that you can see it from here," she promised.

Alphys smiled. "Thank you," she said. "I wouldn't want to miss seeing two of my best friends getting married."

* * *

_A half-an-hour later..._

Muffet was dressed in her best purple dress trimmed with lace and Emma was dressed in a blue dress that was floor length and had sparkles all over it. "Okay, something new," the spider said. "Now for something either old, borrowed, or blue."

"Well, I have my grandmother's bracelet that she had given me," Emma said, putting it on before pulling out a string of black pearls from her jewelry box. "These were my grandmother's too and they would go great with your purple dress."

Muffet was surprised. "Are you sure, Emma?" She asked.

"I'm sure," the young woman said, placing them around the spider's neck and smiling. "You're going to make Jake's jaw hit the floor."

The spider giggled. "You'll no doubt do the same for Sans," she said.

A knock came at the door. "Are the brides ready?" Came Grillby's voice. "We've got two nervous grooms out here."

Muffet and Emma laughed in amusement. "We're ready," the latter said as she opened the door and came out with the former behind her. Both men, who were in their best suits, covered their eyes, making them giggle. "What are you two doing?"

"We can't see you before we get to the town hall," Jake said.

"We want to do it right," Sans said.

"Oh, you two," Muffet said with another giggle. "We best get to the town hall then."

Moments later, they were at the town hall and Grillby walked both women up the aisle to where the judge was. The judge smiled as he watched the girls stand beside the ones they were marrying and it wasn't long before he came to the biggest question for the couples.

"Emma and Muffet, do you each take the man by your side as your lawfully wedded husband to love and cherish for as long as you both live?" He asked.

"I do," Muffet said.

"I do," Emma said.

Smiling, the judge turned to the men. "Sans and Jake, do you each take the woman by your side as your lawfully wedded wife to love and cherish for as long as you both live?" He asked them.

"I do," Jake said, gently squeezing Muffet's hand.

"I do," Sans said, wrapping one arm around Emma. Both women smiled as their guys."

The judge smiled. "I'm am pleased and honored to pronouce both these couples as husband and wife," he said. "Gentlemen, you may each kiss your bride."

The cheers erupted in the room and the rice rained down as the two couples kissed, bound by marriage.

* * *

_In the Doodlesphere..._

Charlotte and Ink were watching the portals to the different worlds while the author held a little girl in her arms. "Look," she said softly to her intended.

They watched as in OceanPatch, Tala and Opa hugged and kissed happily and in another Undertale universe, Napstablook popped the question to Kayla, who accepted happily while River Person watched with pride.

They turned to another portal where they saw Alphys resting with her new son, who was named Chris, sleeping beside her while Gaster and Michael watched over them and at a restaurant at a private table, the others were celebrating the two weddings. Another window was beside that and it showed Lullabytale, where Caramel hugged his niece and both were hugged by his brothers Chewy and Lull.

Charlotte looked down at her and Ink's daughter that they had adopted after finding her on their doorstep, seeing she was awake. "Hey, Niche," she cooed to her. "Are you hungry?"

The baby whimpered a little at that, to which Ink was at his love's side in an instant with a bottle of milk for the baby. "Here, I got her," he said as the author handed the little one to him and he gave Niche the bottle of milk. "There you go, baby bones. Daddy and Mommy have you covered."

Little Niche, who was a skeleton with brown bones and brown hair just like Charlotte, looked up at them with her unique eyes, one being blue and the other yellow. Her rainbow onesie nearly blended in with her rainbow blanket as she settled down, drinking her milk and gazing up at her parents.

Charlotte smiled. "To think that last page would have gone unnoticed had you not opened the book last week," she said.

Ink chuckled. "Yeah," he said. "Though I must admit, Sans certainly went above and beyond to give everyone a happy ending."

"And as a result, there's peace in the worlds," she said. "Sans succeeded and then some."

"That he did," the painter skeleton said as they smiled at their daughter again before looking back at the portals, smiling again to see all was at peace.

_At the restaurant..._

The music playing for the group was both soft and wonderful and Sans got up, taking Emma's hand. "Can I ask my beautiful wife to join me in a dance?" He asked.

Emma smiled at him. "I'd be delighted, my handsome husband," she said, standing up and letting him lead her to one of the balconies just outside the private dining area. They hardly noticed that some of the other couples went to the other balconies to dance too as the skeleton looked into the young woman's eyes, gently guiding her into their first dance.

"Oh, Emma, I can't believe how lucky I am," he said. "I went from just having my brothers in my life to having every one of the monsters to become part of my family, along with the children who fell and Asriel becoming my nieces and nephews, gaining some new friends, and now you becoming my mate for life."

She smiled. "And I went from thinking I'd never find someone to love me to finding someone who not only loves me, but is now my mate for life too," she said. "I love you, Sans."

"And I love you, Emma," he said.

He gently pulled her closer and she wrapped her arms around his neck, their faces leaning towards each other before their lips met in a passionate, loving kiss, the peace that filled the worlds surrounding them in a warm embrace.

* * *

**And that concludes "Hope For Past And Present". Thank you to everyone who read, faved, reviewed, and followed this story. You guys are amazing! :) ****Ink belongs to Myebi (also knows as comyet on Tumblr). Julie, Carmen, Nathan, Thomas, Sarah, David, Ida, Emma, Jake, Michael, Chris, Kayla, Caramel, Chewy, Lull, Tala, Opa, Harmony, Capricorn, Niche, and Charlotte all belong to me.**

**Please leave a review, but no flames! **

**GoldGuardian2418 **


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